A recent study published last week unveiled a peculiar finding about penguin sleeping patterns, dubbing them the "masters of power naps." The research reveals that penguins take numerous brief naps throughout the day, allowing them to remain alert for extended periods.
Conducted on an island near Antarctica, home to thousands of nesting penguins, the study found that during their nine-hour hunting trips at sea, penguins only sleep for about 3% of the time, remaining vigilant for the rest.
Upon returning to the glacier, they face long shifts of up to 22 hours, tirelessly guarding their egg nests and offspring. To rest, the penguins rely on short naps while standing upright. In an average watch hour, a penguin experiences around 600 sleep cycles.
"These findings are truly remarkable," stated neuroscientist Paul Antoine Liborl, a member of the research team. "They underscore the fact that we still have much to discover. It appears that not all animals sleep in the way we were taught in school."