Top 30 Animals That Sleep the Most
Discover the top 30 animals that sleep the longest!
There are animals that sleep up to 22 hours a day and are only awake for 2 hours a day. For many people this sounds heavenly. Who wouldn't love to sleep for so long?
We have put together the top 30 animals that sleep the most for you! We also reveal amazing sleeping habits from the animal kingdom. Did you know that there are animals that fall into a digestive sleep for more than one year? But let's start with the most important thing: the table with the records!
Animals That Sleep the Most (by Animal Order)
First, we have a list sorted by animal order (mammal, reptile, bird and so on). It is still uncertain if amphibians sleep like mammals or humans, despite having periods of rest.
Animal Order | Species | Sleep per day |
---|---|---|
Mammal | Koala | 18-22 hours |
Reptile | Python | 18-20 hours |
Bird | Magnificent frigatebird | 12 hours |
Insect | Fire ant | 9 hours |
Fish | Guppy | 7 hours |
Invertebrate | Octopus | 2 hours |
Amphibian | ? | ? |
Top 30 Animals That Sleep the Most (Per Day)
Officially, the koala is the animal that sleeps the longest. It sleeps 22 hours and is only awake 2-4 hours a day - mainly to eat eucalyptus leaves. They contain little energy and are difficult to digest. That's why the koala tries to "save" as much energy as possible by sleeping.
Animal | Sleep per day |
---|---|
Koala | 18-22 hours * |
Pocket mouse | 20 hours |
Big Brown Bat | 20 hours |
Tiger | 18-20 hours |
Python | 18-20 hours |
Walrus | 19 hours * |
Lion | 18-20 hours |
Hedgehog | 18-20 hours |
Opossum | 18 hours |
Armadillo | 18 hours |
Night monkey | 17 hours |
Red panda | 17 hours |
Crocodile | 17 hours |
Cat | 12-16 hours |
Squirrel | 15 hours |
Dog | 12-14 hours |
Platypus | 14 hours |
Elephant seal | 14 hours |
Cheetah | 12 hours |
Magnificent frigatebird | 12 hours *** |
Chimpanzee | 8-12 hours |
Gorilla | 12 hours |
Mouse | 12 hours |
Owl | 10-12 hours |
Chinstrap penguin | 11 hours |
Sloth | 8-10 hours **** |
Hummingbird | 8-10 hours |
Fire ant | 9 hours |
Baboon | 9 hours |
Dolphin | 8 hours |
* Source: Australian Koala Foundation
** But can stay awake for 84 hours at a time
*** While on land
**** Source: The Sloth Conservation Foundation
Sloths (Don't) Sleep 15-20 hours
It has long been said that sloths sleep 15-20 hours a day. However, The Sloth Conservation Foundation has found that only captive sloths have been observed so far. Their behavior is completely differently because they don't have to fear enemies and food is always available. In addition, rest and sleep phases are difficult to distinguish through observation alone. More precise measurements with EEG (electroencephalography; measurement of brain activity) and EMG (electromyography; measurement of muscle activity) have shown different numbers. The sloth actually doesn't sleep more than 8-10 hours.
How Long Do People Sleep?
Sleep per Day | |
---|---|
Baby | 16 hours |
Adult human | 8 hours |
Old person | 5-6 hours |
Fun Facts
Longest REM Sleep
The platypus is in the Guinness Book of Records. It holds the record for the mammal with the longest REM sleep. In 2017, researchers found that it spends eight hours a day in REM sleep. For comparison: the longest REM sleep of a human was 3 hours and 8 minutes. This sleep usually lasts only 20 minutes. REM sleep is when we intensively dream. What does the platypus dream about?
Longest Digestive Sleep
In Australia in 2006, a Eastern pygmy possum (a small marsupial) ate quite a lot of food. It then fell into an unusually long digestive sleep. It lasted longer than a year: 367 days!
Sources:
- "How much do sloths sleep?" (https://slothconservation.org)
- "Frequently Asked Questions" (https://www.www.savethekoala.com)
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