Ostrich
Fake Awake
This sleeping ostrich might look awake!
Eyes open?!
An ostrich can sometimes look surprisingly awake while it's actually sleeping.
During one type of sleep, an ostrich can rest upright with its head held high and its eyes open. But when deeper REM sleep arrives, things look very different.
Now You Know!
During REM sleep, an ostrich's eyes close and its head can droop forward!
So an ostrich doesn't sleep with its eyes open all the time. It depends on the type of sleep it's getting.
How does an ostrich sleep?
- How long?
In several periods of sleep
- When?
Mostly at night
- How?
Upright or lying down
From Sleep, Nap, Snooze
Fake Awake
The ostrich may look awake even when it's catching some sleep in Sleep, Nap, Snooze: The Bed Habits of Animals.
Explore the BookKeep snoozing...
Discover All Animal Sleep FactsFor parents & teachers
Is this really true? Sources & further reading
Research has found that ostriches can show slow-wave sleep while sitting upright with their heads held vertically. Their eyes may remain open during this state.
REM sleep looks quite different. During REM, the eyes close, muscle tone decreases and the head can droop forward.
This is why the simplified idea that ostriches simply “sleep with their eyes open” needs some context.
- Animal:
- Ostrich
- Scientific name:
- Struthio camelus
Source: Lesku et al., sleep research in ostriches, PLOS ONE, 2011.
Read the research (opens in a new tab)