10 points!!! Do whales sleep, and if so how?

Question

I knjow the answer, I just want to see who else knows, 10 points to whoever gets it right first!!!

Answer 1

Whales and dolphins are mammals, so in a lot of ways, they are just like human beings. Among other things, they have similar bone structure, are warm-blooded and give birth to "live young." The biggest differences between these animals and human beings are related to our respective environments. Whales and dolphins have a unique respiratory system that lets them spend long periods of time (sometimes 30 minutes or longer) underwater, without taking in any oxygen.

On land, human beings and other mammals breathe involuntarily: If we don't make a decision to breathe or not to breathe, our body will take in air automatically. Because of their undersea environment, whales and dolphins must be conscious breathers: They have to actively decide when to breathe. Consequently, in order to breathe, they have to be conscious. This presents a problem, since mammalian brains need to enter an unconscious state from time to time in order to function correctly (see How Sleep Works to find out why this might be).

There's plenty of time for a dolphin to catch a catnap between trips to the ocean surface, of course, but this isn't a viable option. When you're a conscious breather, it's just not feasible to be completely unconscious -- what if you don't wake up in time? The solution for whales and dolphins is to let one half of the brain sleep at a time. In this way, the animal is never completely unconscious, but it still gets the rest it needs.

Scientists have studied this phenomenon in dolphins, using electroencephalography. In this process, electrodes hooked up to the head measure electricity levels in the brain. The resulting electroencephalograms (EEGs) of dolphin brains demonstrate that in the sleep cycle, half of the dolphin's brain does indeed "shut down" while the other half is still active. Researchers have observed that dolphins are in this state for approximately eight hours a day.

We can't really know what this rest state feels like, but we can make a good guess. It is probably something like the semi-conscious state we experience as we begin to fall asleep. We're pretty close to unconsciousness, but are aware enough of our surroundings to wake up completely if we need to.

And where do dolphins and whales sleep? They could probably sleep anywhere, but it makes sense that they would do it near the surface of the ocean so they can come up for air easily. It's not uncommon to see dolphins "logging," swimming slowly along the surface, with very little movement. Presumably, these are dolphins at rest.

Answer 2

Yes, they let each side of their brain sleep at different times.  This way they are alert to dangers, but can rest.

Answer 3

I googled it:

"Yes, whales sleep. However they do not sleep the same way we sleep. All whales are obligate breathers. That is they need to use an act of will to breath. We have the luxury of being able to breathe while deeply asleep.

Toothed whales live in extended family groups or pods. Animals in those pods will gather together in tight groups and rest while traveling quite slowly.

It is thought that toothed whales can snooze by shutting down only one side of the brain. The make shallow dives and breath in unison . It is possible that one animal is fully awake and acts as a breathing coordinator for the

group. different animals could take turns as the "sleep warden".

Baleen whales, on the other hand, can be very sound sleepers while floating

quietly at the surface in calm conditions. They do not appear to sleep in

groups . "

Answer 4

No - they never fully sleep.

- There's plenty of time for a dolphin to catch a catnap between trips to the ocean surface, of course, but this isn't a viable option. When you're a conscious breather, it's just not feasible to be completely unconscious -- what if you don't wake up in time? The solution for whales and dolphins is to let one half of the brain sleep at a time. In this way, the animal is never completely unconscious, but it still gets the rest it needs. (taken from the website)

Answer 5

yes, they do

They are conscious breathers and would drown if they did not go up for air to breathe. They have adapted to this need to be awake by only allowing half of their brain to sleep at any given time. Be that as it may, they sleep in the ocean where they spend all of their time.

scientists believe that whales sleep with only half their brain.  In other words, while half their brain is shutdown, the other half stays awake to monitor their breathing.  They sleep at or just bellow the surface and breath at the surface every few minutes (2 or 3 minutes for the large whales).  I have seen right whales in deep slumber, and some say the deepest sleeper is the sperm whale who can sleep for hours on end. :)

Answer 6

Yes, whales sleep.  Like most living creatures, (especially mammals, which whales are) they need it to recuperate and repair.  We humans need sleep to digest food and heal wounds and sicknesses, and grow, don't we?  It's the same with whales.  They sort of hover in the water, near the bottom of the ocean.