Ukrainian polar explorers showed footage of a Weddell seal resting on the shore of Galindez Island, where the "Akademik Vernadsky" Antarctic station is located. The video captured the animal sleeping on the coast, UNN reports.
Details
It is noted that seals can sleep both on the shore or ice, and in the water. For example, elephant seals and fur seals mostly choose the coast for resting, Weddell seals also prefer coastal ice, while crabeater seals and leopard seals choose drifting ice floes.
In the water, seals can sleep both lying horizontally and "hovering" vertically. In the second case, they slowly descend as if in a spiral and can reach the bottom. Then they rise to the surface to breathe air, and the process repeats
According to them, during these intervals, seals get about 2 hours of sleep in the water. On land or ice, they usually sleep much longer - about 10 hours, sometimes even up to 14.
Some species sleep in the water using unihemispheric sleep, meaning only one hemisphere of the brain rests while the other remains active to monitor the surrounding situation. This adaptation allows animals to react quickly to the appearance of predators or maintain contact with other group members
Reminder
Ukrainian scientists recorded rare sounds of type "B" killer whales in Antarctica. The audio recording was made by chance when a group of three animals was hunting seals near the station.
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