• Question: How or Do dolphins sleep?

    Asked by cerijadex to MarkF, Mark, Michael, Panos, Sarah on 20 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Michael Loughlin

      Michael Loughlin answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-do-whales-and-dolphin

      thats where i got the answer from ( good question BTW) they nap….for an hour or two they never actually have deep sleep because , as you might have through, they drown
      Thanks i am learning a lot by trying to find out these answers

    • Photo: Panos Soultanas

      Panos Soultanas answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      I cannot answer this one. I wish I could speak to a dolphin and ask this question. I would guess it may not be that dissimilar to humans. After all they are mammals too.

    • Photo: Mark Fogg

      Mark Fogg answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      It’s a bit weird I know, but they sleep with only half their brain at one time apparently and only in short bursts, so they can still go and breathe.

    • Photo: Mark Travis

      Mark Travis answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      All animals as need have something similar to sleep to survive. Dolphins do sleep, but not in the same way as us- they don’t switch off completely (otherwise they would not be abel to breath underwater), but rest part of their brain at a time.

    • Photo: Sarah Burl

      Sarah Burl answered on 20 Jun 2010:

      Dolphins have to be conscious to breathe so sleeping is difficult so they allow only one half of their brains to sleep at a time and they sleep for8 hours like that. They Ned to keep going to the surface for air during this time.

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