Nap in peace!

2002/09/26 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Zoologia

Penguins sleep more deeply after eating than in the morning. French ecologist Gerard Dewasmes spent a month studying the real penguins of the Crozet archipelago in Antarctica. He wanted to study the dream of wild birds and has used a curious and rather annoying method. The stick in his hand hit the sleeping penguins every minute until they woke up. In the morning the penguins woke up after the fifth tap, but after the meal they slept until the ninth. The researcher who deserved more than one bite has linked the deepest sleep of the afternoon with the social customs of penguins.

During the morning most penguins seek to eat, run from one side to the other, and those who stay taking care of the nest tend to be attentive to sleep, to avoid the blows and thrusts of others and to protect young and eggs. In the afternoon, the activity of the group is smaller and penguins can sleep quieter, unless an annoying researcher can hit the area.