The Cellar - September 21, 2012

The Cellar (http://cellar.org/index.php)

- Image of the Day (http://cellar.org/forumdisplay.php?f=10)

- - September 21, 2012 - Sleeping Giants (http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=28059)

September 21, 2012 - Sleeping Giants

http://cellar.org/2012/sleeping giants.png

This pod of sleeping sperm whales were sleeping so deeply they did not notice a research vessel until it bumped into them. The whale noses sticking out of the water alerted the researchers to their presence.

It appears that the sperm whales go into a full sleep for short periods of time several times a day. It is suspected they also have shorter periods of sleep throughout the day. (Whale naps and cat naps?)

Quote:

they sleep very little: just 7% of the time. That contrasts sharply with smaller beluga and grey whales, which sleep for 32% and 41% of the time, respectively. Such a meagre amount of sleep designates the sperm whales as the least sleep-dependent mammals known. (The current record-holder is the giraffe, which sleeps for 8% of the time.)

The research team was from the University of St Andrew’s, UK, and they found the sleeping whales in Chile.

Go to Nature for more info and a video.

That's cool! I had no idea they slept like that. It never occurred to me at all how they would sleep. I wonder if they wake up to breathe or if it's like sleep walking.

I wonder if they snore and/or dream.

no snoring. definitely dreaming

Quote:

Originally Posted by monster (Post 831291)

Wet dreams.

And here I thought we were going to stay away from ocean puns.

You did that on porpoise. I was going to fish you out but instead I'm just going to let you flounder.

So... How do you do Whale Tipping?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Griff (Post 831297)

Dorks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH6sE8RMUuU

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPUCK (Post 831328)

So... How do you do Whale Tipping?

Usually 20% unless the service was really slow.

So, sperm whales have wet dreams and wet dreams have sperm wails.

Ain't nature wonderful?