"Elephant seals' deep sleep strategy to avoid predators"
Elephant seals have been found to drift downwards in a "sleep spiral" when deep diving in the ocean to catch up on sleep while on months-long foraging trips. The seals fall into sleep during deep dives of up to 1,235 feet to avoid predators. Scientists recorded the brain waves of 13 young female seals in California as part of the study, marking the first time scientists have studied the brain waves and recorded the sleeping habits of a free-ranging, wild marine mammal. Elephant seals do get a lot of sleep when they are on land — about 10 hours — scientists said, which makes their sleeping pattern "unusual."
