Ocean Wonders: Slumber in the Sea

Though we’re still not sure exactly why we and other animals snooze, we do know that sleep can look very different for creatures living underwater. Follow us down into the deep to discover how dozing in the ocean can be more bizarre than your wildest dreams.
Hey, teachers! Here’s a cheat sheet of what’s included in this episode of Ocean Wonders:
- Why do animals (including humans) sleep?
- What happens during sleep?
- Do marine animals sleep? How? For how long?
- Do marine animals need a brain to sleep?
- Do marine animals dream?
- Jellyfish, whale, bottlenose dolphin, walrus, manatee, elephant seal, fish, shark, sea turtle, sea otter
This episode is part of our series Ocean Wonders, where we dive beneath the waves to explore the mysteries of life underwater-everything from how sleep and the sense of smell work in the murky depths of the ocean to how animals build homes, survive sickness, and grow to some of the oldest, ripest ages on Earth.
Created by the Hakai Institute
Executive produced and written by Meigan Henry
Edited and narrated by Kristina Blanchflower
Videography by Grant Callegari, Tavish Campbell, Markus Thompson, and Bennett Whitnell
Additional footage provided by Storyblocks, Adobe Stock, and Susan Bird
Illustrations by Mercedes Minck
This publication is endorsed by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development as a Decade Activity. Use of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development logo by a non-UN entity does not imply the endorsement of the United Nations of such entity, its products or services, or of its planned activities. For more information please access: forum.oceandec...