Sleeping Whales: Photographer Reveals What Whales Look Like When They Snooze

One photographer captured a rare glimpse of what it looks like when whales snooze. In the Indian Ocean, a group of more than 30 adult sperm whales are sleeping at a depth of 15 meters. They stand like this without moving for minutes or hours. All are females, and all the calfs are at the surface while parents are sleeping.

Whales in the wild, dive down about 45 feet and sleep up to two hours at a time between breaths. As said before, they sleep in vertical position, in pods of five or six whales. They probably do so, because they want to protect themselves. Whales in captivity are found to be among the least sleepy animals. Researchers believe that whales usually spend seven percent of their day in these vertical positions near the water. Their nap usually lasts for 10 to 15 minutes. When sleeping, they use only half of their brain. This behavior is due to their precaution about predators, maintaining social contact, controlling breathing or it just helps them continue swimming. Sources:nationalgeographic.com.