Dolphins are Definitely in the Wide Awake Club

Did you know that dolphins can stay awake for up to 15 days on the trot, they’re the Keith Richards of the sea! They manage this amazing feat by putting half of their brain to sleep whilst the other stays awake. This puts a completely different spin of the phrase ‘being half asleep’!

When the dolphin is in it’s half asleep state, it can come to the surface to breath, and also keep their eye open for pesky sharks who may be looking for a dolphin sized snack. Scientists in America have been testing a pair of bottlenose dolphins ability to echo locate correctly over long periods of time, and found that they responded well over 5 continuous days. So well in fact, one of the dolphins had a 99% success rate! This dolphin, called Say, was then tested for a further 10 days with hardly any loss of success, even over the longer period of time time.

Lead researcher for the National Marine Mammal Foundation, Dr Brian Branstetter, said –

These majestic beasts are true unwavering sentinels of the sea. The demands of ocean life on air breathing dolphins have led to incredible capabilities, one of which is the ability to continuously, perhaps indefinitely, maintain vigilant behaviour through echolocation. However, the biological, sensory and cognitive ecology of these animals is relatively unique and demanding. If dolphins sleep like terrestrial animals, they might drown. If dolphins fail to maintain vigilance, they become susceptible to predation. As a result, the apparent ‘extreme’ capabilities these animals possess are likely to be quite normal, unspectacular, and necessary for survival from the dolphin’s perspective.

So it seems that dolphins can continually send out echo signals to keep themselves half awake and also to look out for predators. By being half asleep, they can also keep one eye open to literally keep their eye out for sharks, whilst also ensuring they don’t bump into anything. Amazing!

Did you know you can actually adopt a dolphin through WWF? If you would like to learn more about the charity and their amazing work in helping to protect the world’s most endangered dolphins, why not check out our dedicated charity page for more information.