00:01While the common house cat, and even your pet dog, might love sleeping the day away,
00:07they've got it easy, with a cushy bed or sofa at their disposal.
00:11It's pretty easy for them to curl up into a ball among the fluffy pillows and blankets
00:16and snooze to their heart's content.
00:19In the wild, however, animals have a very different way of sleeping.
00:24For apex predators like lions, catnaps are the order of the day.
00:28Unfortunately, those who are lower down on the food chain don't get nearly as much shut-eye,
00:35since they always need to be on the lookout.
00:38Giraffes almost never sleep for exactly this reason.
00:42However, it's an entirely different story when they're young,
00:45and the way they look will totally make your day.
01:04In the wild, different types of animals sleep in very different ways.
01:10Apex predators, like lions and tigers, sleep up to 20 hours a day,
01:15but usually only in small increments so that they can protect themselves and hunt.
01:23Giraffes, on the other hand, sleep a little bit differently.
01:26In fact, they have one of the most unique ways of falling asleep compared to any other animal in the
01:32wild.
01:32They lower themselves to the ground, a task in and of itself, very slowly,
01:38but that's just the first step in the process.
01:42Once the giraffe has managed to lower itself fully and fold its legs up underneath its body,
01:47it's got just one thing left to do.
01:50This step is critical when it comes to a giraffe truly getting comfortable for a good, long rest.
01:58They curl their necks down and around, and they rest their heads on the top of their own rumps.
02:05It's like they've figured out a way to use their own bodies as the world's perfect pillow.
02:11While both juvenile and adult giraffes have been photographed sleeping this way,
02:16it's much more common in the babies.
02:19Adult giraffes are actually more likely to sleep standing up.
02:23It's not likely comfortable, but it's a good way to keep an eye out for potential threats to their safety.
02:31Most adult giraffes who sleep in this position only wind up staying like that four or five minutes at a
02:37time.
02:38Since they require the least sleep of any creature in the animal kingdom,
02:42that's plenty of shut-eye for the adult giraffe.
02:44They can get by on just 30 minutes of sleep a night.
02:49While giraffes are very fast, they're able to run about 35 miles per hour,
02:54their speed only helps them if they are aware that there is a predator they need to evade for their
03:00own safety.
03:01That's why they tend to sleep standing.
03:03Of course, baby giraffes have the protection of their herds, so they can afford to curl up.
03:09If giraffes roamed and grazed in areas of the jungle or forest that provided more coverage,
03:15the adults might sleep lying down.
03:17Because these gentle creatures are often found on the open plains, however,
03:21being awake and watchful is key to their continued survival.
03:27Because giraffes don't have thick hides or sharp teeth,
03:31they need to run away from their predators rather than engage them in combat.
03:35If they have to carefully stand up and untangle their limbs,
03:39they run the risk of the enemy attacking them before they're able to do anything about it.
03:44While this kind of life might sound exhausting,
03:47it's how giraffes have survived for thousands of years.
03:50Here's hoping these baby giraffes enjoy their adorable way of slumbering for as long as they can
03:56before they have to join the grown-ups.
04:00Is there anything cuter out there than the way these young giraffes sleep?
04:04It's like they're just begging us to take their pictures.
04:07Totally sweet.
04:09Thanks for the work of sharing.
04:09I'll see you next time.
04:15I hope so.
04:15It's like working for
