Who Sleeps More: You or These Adorable Animals?
According to the National Sleep Foundation, the average human adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep every night. How do our sleep habits compare to these infinitely cuter mammals?
依據國家睡眠基金會，一個普通成年人每天晚上需要7-9小時的睡眠。我們的睡眠習慣和這些無敵可愛的哺乳動物比起來是怎樣的不同呢？
by CLAIRE NOWAK
Cats——15 hours
On average, cats spend around 15 hours a day sleeping, and they do not want to be disturbed when they snooze. But every cat is different. Those sleep times can range from 12 to 16 hours. Large wild cats also snooze most of the day away. Male lions may even sleep a full 24 hours after a large meal.
一般來說，貓咪們每天大約花費15小時用來睡覺，而且它們可不希望在打盹的時候被打擾。但每一只貓都是不同的，睡眠的時間也從12到16小時不等。大型野貓也會把一天中的大多數時間瞇過去。雄獅可能會在一頓大餐過后睡足整整24個小時。
Hedgehogs—10 hours
Hedgehogs typically get 10 hours of sleep every day, and since they’re nocturnal, they have opposite sleeping schedules from humans. Hedgehog owners can wake up their pets to play during the day, but the little guys usually get grumpy and curl up into a ball.
刺猬通常每天獲得10個小時的睡眠，因為它們是夜行動物，所以有著和人類完全相反的睡眠時間表。刺猬的主人可以在白天喚醒他們的寵物一起玩耍，不過這些小家伙通常會發脾氣然后卷成一個球。
語言點
- curl up 卷起；蜷縮
- opposite ... from 與什么相反；對立
Giraffe—about 2 hours
There’s debate about how long giraffes actually sleep, but it’s between one and five hours a day. They can sleep standing up with their necks down and heads resting on their back. Like humans, they have an REM (Rapid Eye Movement) cycle, but in order to reach that, they need to lie down with their legs tucked under their bodies.
關于長頸鹿每天真正睡多久仍有爭議，不過應該在每天1到5小時之間。它們可以站著睡覺，把脖子垂下來，然后頭枕到它們的背上。像人類一樣，他們有著REM（快速眼球運動）周期，但為了達到這種狀態，它們需要側躺，把腿壓在身子的下面。
語言點
tuck v.打摺；卷起；收攏；藏起
Chimpanzees—9 hours
Chimpanzees sleep between eight and nine hours in their nests, located high up in tree canopies, and they’re very picky about finding the best materials for those nests. An eye-opening 2014 study found that 70 percent of chimps in a Ugandan wildlife reserve used branches from the same tree—sturdy Ugandan ironwood—even though that species made up less than 10 percent of the trees in that area.
猩猩會在它們的巢穴里睡8到9個小時，這些巢穴位于高高的樹檐之上，而且它們對尋找建造這些巢穴的最好的材料可挑剔著呢。一項令人大開眼界的發現一個烏干達保護區內70%的猩猩使用來自同一種樹的枝干——堅固的烏干達鐵木——盡管這一種樹在該區域的樹木組成中只占用低于10%的比例。
Chinchillas—13 hours
Chinchillas are nocturnal, but don’t be surprised if they look awake during the day. They sleep with their eyes open. They’re also known to be light sleepers. In the wild, chinchillas sleep in crevices or burrows so predators don’t spot them.
龍貓是夜行動物，但是如果看到它們白天醒著，也不用驚訝。因為它們是睜著眼睛睡覺的。它們也是出了名的淺睡眠者。在野外，龍貓睡在墻縫或地洞中，因此捕食者不會發現他們。
Sheep—4 hours
Sheep typically spend about 15 percent of their day sleeping, which adds up to less than four hours. Their odd sleep habits probably came from their ancestors that needed to stay awake to avoid getting attacked by predators. Another interesting sheep fact: they used to cut the White House lawn.
綿羊通常花費它們一天中15%的時間用于睡眠，總計小于四小時。它們奇怪的睡眠習慣可能來自它們的需要保持清醒以避免遭到捕食者攻擊的祖先。另一個關于綿羊的有趣事實：它們可以被用來修剪白宮的草坪哦。
Rabbits—8 hours
Rabbits sleep around eight hours. Although they mostly sleep during the day, they’re not nocturnal either. They’re crepuscular, which means they’re most active at dusk and dawn. These are the best times for them to find food since it’s hard for predators to spot them in the low light. Wild rabbits even have special places for sleeping in the tunnels they live in underground, also called warrens.
兔子大約睡八個小時。雖然它們白天大多數時間都在睡覺，但它們并不是夜行動物。它們是“拂曉黃昏”型的，這也意味著它們最活躍的時間是清晨和傍晚。因為在這種低照明條件下捕食者很難發現它們，所以這是它們最好的覓食時間。在它們生活的地下隧道中，野兔們甚至還有特殊的用于睡覺的地方，也被叫做“兔屋”。
語言點
crepuscular 拂曉的；黃昏的；即dusk and dawn。
Horses—3 hours
Like sheep, horses evolved from a species that was preyed on in open fields, so they don’t need much time to sleep either. This is also why they sleep standing up, even though scientists may believe horses need to lie down to enter a deep sleep.
像綿羊一樣，馬是從一種在暴露的野外環境中被捕食的物種進化而來的，所以它們也不需要太多時間睡覺。這也是為什么它們站著睡覺，即使科學家可能認為馬需要躺下進入深度睡眠。
Dogs—Between 12 and 14 hours
Dogs can sleep anywhere from 10-14 hours, although 12-14 is considered average for adult dogs. Puppies can need as much as 18-20 hours of sleep because they use so much energy running around all day. Canine sleep habits vary between breeds, but any dog that seems to sleep all the time may need a trip to the vet.
狗的睡眠時間可以是10到14小時中的任何一個，盡管成年狗狗的睡眠時間普遍被認為在12-14小時之間。小狗可能需要多達18-20小時的睡眠，因為它們整天用很多的能量四出亂跑。不同品種的犬類睡眠時間也不盡相同，但是任何一只似乎總是在睡覺的狗就可能需要去看一趟獸醫了。
Squirrel—15 hours
Nighttime habits differ for different types of squirrels (who, by the way, are probably smarter than you). Tree squirrels sleep in dens in the side of trees, while ground squirrels dig theirs underground. When ground squirrels hibernate in the winter, they are only awake for 12 to 20 hours each week.
不同種類的松鼠（順便一提，這家伙可能比你聰明哦）有著不同的夜間習慣。樹松鼠睡在樹上的窩里，而地松鼠挖它們的地洞。當地松鼠過冬時，它們一周只有12-20小時是醒著的。
Seals—6 hours
As creatures of land and sea, seals can sleep pretty much anywhere in their habitat. Rocks and beaches often serve as seal beds, but they are also able to sleep floating upright and even underwater. A study from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks found that while elephant seals sleep, they let themselves sink in a way that resembles leaves falling from a tree. One possible explanation? They sleep with half of their brains awake.
因為既是陸地生物又是海洋生物，海豹在不同的棲息地能睡出各種不同的時間。巖石和沙灘經常作為海豹的床，但它們也有可能直立著睡覺，甚至在水下睡覺。一項來自Alaska-Fairbanks大學的研究顯示，海象在睡覺時，它們使自己以一種如同葉子從樹上落下的方式下沉。這是為什么呢？一種可能的解釋是它們睡覺時有一半的大腦是清醒的。
Elephants—4 hours
In total, elephants sleep about four to five hours during a 24-hour period, but their bedtime is actually split into chunks throughout the day. They can sleep lying down or resting against tree trunks and termite mounds. Elephants in herds take turns sleeping while the others keep watch for trouble.
總而言之，大象每24個小時睡四到五個小時，但它們的睡眠時間事實上被分成了若干塊，遍布一整天。它們可以躺著，或者靠著樹干和白蟻丘睡覺。象群中的大象輪流睡覺，其它成員則保持警戒。
注：
termite mounds 白蟻丘
（來源于網絡）白蟻是很優秀的工程師，能夠建造超過10米高、底部15米寬的蟻丘。蟻丘能夠調節內部的溫度和空氣條件，這里也是它們孕育后代的家。
白蟻丘
