Apes

• Sleeping habit: Just like humans do

Followers of evolutionary theories will be happy to find out that apes sleep like humans and they even make cozy ‘mattresses’ out of leaves. In other words, whether they prefer to build their own beds in trees or on the ground, they follow the same nest pattern, just like us. 

There are some species of apes and monkeys that prefer to sleep while sitting on a tree branch because this way they can pay more attention to predators. However, it has been proven that great apes that managed to sleep more and rest better in tree platforms improved their cognitive functions and their brains developed more. Well, maybe a few extra hours of sleep helped us become humans in the end. 

Also, don’t forget that apes are our closest living relatives, or at least this is what researchers shown us. According to animal experts, apes share about 98% of their DNA with humans. Nevertheless, it’s important to understand that apes are NOT monkeys and they have different physical features, from the brain size to the shape of their nose.

Elephants and giraffes 

• Sleeping habit: they sleep standing up

Unlike apes, elephants and giraffes prefer to sleep standing up. Unfortunately, they have naturally developed this sleeping routine as a vigilant resting technique and also to be ready to run at any moment, especially when a predator threatens them. In general, animals are vulnerable when they sleep and that’s why most of them hide to rest. However, due to their size, elephants and giraffes couldn’t hide, but instead, they managed to sleep standing up. 

Elephants and giraffes as well as other animals that can sleep this way, such as horses, cows and even birds, are endowed with a feature known as “stay apparatus” and refers to a knee that locks and helps them sleep standing up. However, animal experts say that they can’t enter into REM sleep while standing up, so they have to lie down from time to time.