One photographer captured an unusual view of what whales look like as they rest. A group of more than 30 adult sperm whales is sleeping at a depth of 15 meters in the Indian Ocean. They stay in this position for several minutes or hours at a time. All of the calfs are females, and the guardians are resting while the calfs are at the surface.
Popular photographs of sperm whales collected together, looking immobile and organized vertically in the sea have appeared on the internet. The whales, which are about the size of school buses, are virtually always “standing” and together in pods of five to six.
It’s difficult to fathom what a school bus-sized animal looks like when it takes a sleep. That is no longer the case! We can see what it’s like when a whale takes a sleep thanks to French photographer and diver Stephane Granzotto. While scuba diving in the Mediterranean, this photographer captured images of whales napping quietly.
There have been a few images on the internet of sperm whales gathered in groups of five or six, seemingly motionless and positioned in a vertical position in the water. As a result, while whales are resting, they appear to be standing. The whales were sleeping for nearly 60 minutes in the shot, which was sent to National Geographic. Nobody knew that whales rest in a vertical posture until 2008. It was about this time when a report on the subject was published in the journal Current Biology. Furthermore, before 2017, no one had given any thought to how these creatures appear in that posture.
In the wild, whales dive to roughly 45 feet and slumber for up to two hours between breaths. As previously stated, they sleep in pods of five or six whales in a vertical position. They most likely do so in order to defend themselves. Whales kept in captivity have been discovered to be among the least drowsy creatures on the planet. Whales are thought to spend around 7% of their day in these vertical postures near the ocean, according to researchers. Their naps are normally 10 to 15 minutes long. They barely use half of their brain while sleeping. This is owing to their fear of predators, keeping social interaction, managing respiration, or simply because it allows them to keep swimming.
Sources: nationalgeographic.com
Doris Highsmith says
I have always loved whales as they are gentle giants. I hope nobody will ever hurt them as they never hurt us. I hope and pray that they will live for many years to come!! God bless these beautiful gentle giants!!
Iris Olofsson says
I feel exactly the same!!! I pray for them and for the peace to increase in the sea.
I Love animals and the nature
We must take care of all life around us.