How do dolphins sleep?
Since Dolphins are like human being in so many ways.
For example, dolphins have a special respiratory just like humans.
The only difference is that dolphins are able to stay underwater for a long time without breathing oxygen. But how do dolphins manage to sleep without drowning?
Generally, dolphins sleep with only one brain hemisphere in slow-wave sleep at a time, thus maintaining enough consciousness to breathe and to watch for possible predators and other threats.
Earlier sleep stages can occur simultaneously in both hemispheres. In captivity, dolphins seemingly enter a fully asleep state where both eyes are closed and there is no response to mild external stimuli.
In this case, respiration is automatic; a tail kick reflexkeeps the blowhole above the water if necessary. Anesthetized dolphins initially show a tail kick reflex.
Though a similar state has been observed with wild sperm whales, it is not known if dolphins in the wild reach this state. The Indus river dolphin has a sleep method that is different from that of other dolphin species.
Living in water with strong currents and potentially dangerous floating debris, it must swim continuously to avoid injury. As a result, this species sleeps in very short bursts which last between 4 and 60 seconds.
