Top 9 Animals That Sleep The Most

Discover the top 30 animals that sleep the longest!

There are animals that sleep up to 22 hours a day and are only awake for 2 hours a day. For many people this sounds heavenly. Who wouldn't love to sleep for so long?

We have put together the top 30 animals that sleep the most for you! We also reveal amazing sleeping habits from the animal kingdom. Did you know that there are animals that fall into a digestive sleep for more than one year? But let's start with the most important thing: the table with the records!

Sloth - Photo: Lukas Kovarik/Shutterstock

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Animals That Sleep the Most (by Animal Order)

First, we have a list sorted by animal order (mammal, reptile, bird and so on). It is still uncertain if amphibians sleep like mammals or humans, despite having periods of rest.

Animal Order	Species	Sleep per day
Mammal	Koala	18-22 hours
Reptile	Python	18-20 hours
Bird	Magnificent frigatebird	12 hours
Insect	Fire ant	9 hours
Fish	Guppy	7 hours
Invertebrate	Octopus	2 hours
Amphibian	?	?

Photo: Adam James Booth (Koala)/Shutterstock, Creative Cat Studio (Remote Control)/stock.adobe.com

Top 30 Animals That Sleep the Most (Per Day)

Officially, the koala is the animal that sleeps the longest. It sleeps 22 hours and is only awake 2-4 hours a day - mainly to eat eucalyptus leaves. They contain little energy and are difficult to digest. That's why the koala tries to "save" as much energy as possible by sleeping.

Animal	Sleep per day
Koala	18-22 hours *
Pocket mouse	20 hours
Big Brown Bat	20 hours
Tiger	18-20 hours
Python	18-20 hours
Walrus	19 hours *
Lion	18-20 hours
Hedgehog	18-20 hours
Opossum	18 hours
Armadillo	18 hours
Night monkey	17 hours
Red panda	17 hours
Crocodile	17 hours
Cat	12-16 hours
Squirrel	15 hours
Dog	12-14 hours
Platypus	14 hours
Elephant seal	14 hours
Cheetah	12 hours
Magnificent frigatebird	12 hours ***
Chimpanzee	8-12 hours
Gorilla	12 hours
Mouse	12 hours
Owl	10-12 hours
Chinstrap penguin	11 hours
Sloth	8-10 hours ****
Hummingbird	8-10 hours
Fire ant	9 hours
Baboon	9 hours
Dolphin	8 hours

* Source: Australian Koala Foundation ** But can stay awake for 84 hours at a time *** While on land**** Source: The Sloth Conservation Foundation

Koala - Photo: Andywak/Shutterstock

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Sloths (Don't) Sleep 15-20 hours

It has long been said that sloths sleep 15-20 hours a day. However, The Sloth Conservation Foundation has found that only captive sloths have been observed so far. Their behavior is completely differently because they don't have to fear enemies and food is always available. In addition, rest and sleep phases are difficult to distinguish through observation alone. More precise measurements with EEG (electroencephalography; measurement of brain activity) and EMG (electromyography; measurement of muscle activity) have shown different numbers. The sloth actually doesn't sleep more than 8-10 hours.

Sloth - Photo: milan noga (left), kungverylucky (right)/Shutterstock

How Long Do People Sleep?

Sleep per Day
Baby	16 hours
Adult human	8 hours
Old person	5-6 hours

Fun Facts

Longest REM Sleep

The platypus is in the Guinness Book of Records. It holds the record for the mammal with the longest REM sleep. In 2017, researchers found that it spends eight hours a day in REM sleep. For comparison: the longest REM sleep of a human was 3 hours and 8 minutes. This sleep usually lasts only 20 minutes. REM sleep is when we intensively dream. What does the platypus dream about?

Longest Digestive Sleep

In Australia in 2006, a Eastern pygmy possum (a small marsupial) ate quite a lot of food. It then fell into an unusually long digestive sleep. It lasted longer than a year: 367 days!

Sources:

• "How much do sloths sleep?" (https://slothconservation.org)
• "Frequently Asked Questions" (https://www.www.savethekoala.com)

Recommended Articles:

• All Animal Records

All Articles About Sleep in Animals

• Animals That Sleep the Least
• Animals That Sleep the Most
• How Do Animals Sleep?
• The Most Unusual Sleeping Habits in the Animal Kingdom