How Do Giraffes Sleep?

Giraffes (Giraffa) are fascinating animals beloved by many throughout the world. This animal is known for its distinctive qualities, be it its long, black tongue or its noteworthy long neck. However, did you also know that the giraffe is known for its uncommon sleep patterns and behaviors? Continue reading below to learn how giraffes sleep, as well as the answer to many other sleep-related giraffe questions.

How Do Giraffes Sleep?

When you think of how a giraffe sleeps, you most likely envision these giants sleeping standing up. After all, with their notable long necks, many day-to-day activities, such as drinking, can be difficult. However, while it is common to see giraffes resting while standing up, especially in the wild, giraffes will sleep while lying down too!

One of the main reasons that giraffes rarely sleep on the ground in the wild is because of how they must do so. To get onto the ground, giraffes must fold their long front legs under their bodies. Their back legs may also be tucked under their bodies, or slightly to the side. If just resting, the giraffe will keep its head raised but its neck curved. To truly rest, you may see a giraffe lay its head on its hindquarters, much like a goose tucking its head into its wings.

While this position may seem like a comfortable way to sleep, it isn’t the safest. Like this, a giraffe cannot quickly get to their feet to flee. As a result, a short snooze can easily turn into an upward battle for survival against some of the top predators that share the wild habitat of the giraffe, like lions. This is especially true given the giraffes natural lack of defense. With their height equalized by a prone position, a giraffe can easily lose its life to an apex predator.

Standing: The Preferred Sleep Position of Adult Giraffes

As a result, sleeping while laying down is more common in young giraffes that have an adult’s protection or of those in captivity, where they recognize there are no natural threats. Outside of these circumstances, it is more common to find giraffes resting while standing up. Even then, while they are more protected than they would be on the ground, giraffes are still alert while sleeping. Their eyes remain half-way opened, and their ears still twitch to pick up on even the quietest of sounds.

Are Giraffes Nocturnal?

Giraffes are what is considered a diurnal species. This means that they are active during the day rather than at night. This is the opposite of nocturnal, which involves the waking hours occurring during the night.

However, because the giraffe does not sleep for long periods of time, which will be discussed in greater detail below, they may be seen on the move at night. This includes scanning their surroundings or even grazing. However, the majority of their activity happens during the daytime. While they may not be totally asleep at night, it is still a period of rest and downtime for this species.

How Long Do Giraffes Sleep?

Believe it or not, giraffes need the least amount of sleep of all mammals. On average, each resting session for a giraffe lasts around five minutes, whether seated on the ground or standing. Throughout the night and day, giraffes will take several of these naps, both as needed and when it is safe to do so. By the time a complete 24-hour cycle has gone, and the giraffe has finished its napping for the day, it will have slept up to 4.5 hours. 

By the time they reach adulthood, giraffes can survive on as little as 30 minutes of rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep. This time is divided up throughout their entire sleep period rather than occurring all at once in a half-hour interval. 

Because giraffes sleep so little, and so rarely, it was once thought that they did not sleep at all!

Species Profile: Giraffes

The giraffe is a unique animal unlike many others on this planet. Known for their long necks and spotted pattern, they are an iconic species when considering those of Africa. They are the tallest animal on Earth. However, despite their height, they are actually closest related to the okapi.

There are four main types of giraffe, each with several subspecies. This includes the:

• Northern giraffe
• Reticulated giraffe
• Southern giraffe
• Masai giraffe.

Historically, giraffes could be found throughout much of the continent of Africa. However, today, their range is restricted to a few countries throughout the southern region.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Miroslav Duchacek (from Czech Republic) / CC BY-SA 3.0 – License / Original