The Mammals That Sleep Most and Least
Research published in PNAS explores the biological and environmental factors that dictate sleep duration in mammals. The study finds that smaller mammals with high metabolisms sleep the most, while large herbivores sleep the least.
Why it matters
Provides scientific insight into evolutionary biology and the physiological requirements of different species.
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How much sleep does a mammal actually need?
According to research by Savage & West , published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the answer depends on far more than body size. Diet, habitat, metabolism, and even where an animal sleeps all help explain the wide variation in sleep duration across species.
The table below ranks the mammals that sleep the most by hours per day:
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