Study Reveals Sleeping Habits of Elephant Seals at Sea

Video Description

A new study shows that elephant seals average just 2 hours of sleep per day when they are at sea. This video by lead author Jessica Kendall-Bar uses data-driven animations to show how these seals sleep for 10 minutes at a time during deep, 30-minute dives in which they often spiral downward while fast asleep.

Now a postdoctoral fellow at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Kendall-Bar conducted the research while she was a graduate student at UC Santa Cruz. Study co-authors include a team of researchers affiliated with UC Santa Cruz and several other research organizations.

Related Story

Elephant Seals Drift Off to Sleep While Diving Far Below the Ocean Surface