Think your sleeping habits are weird? Think again. In this hilarious photograph, an exhausted walrus is spotted choosing a particularly unusual bed: the deck of a Russian submarine. Truth be told, this is actually not the strangest place a walrus has ever been known to sleep. Indeed, of all the animals in the animal kingdom, walruses are notoriously some of the strangest, most unusual sleepers. According to sleep experts, walruses can actually go a shocking amount of time without sleep, and are able to swim almost continuously for up to a staggering 84 hours.
“The discovery that walruses remain active for periods lasting up to 84 hours without showing behavioral signs of sleep is unprecedented,” said sleep specialist Niels Rattenborg. With such high amounts of constant, non-stop exercise, it makes sense that afterward, these enormous marine animals clock-in a startling amount of sleep: up to 19 hours, to be exact. Rattenborg claims that this animal’s “unusual ecological niche” of part-land, part-sea could potentially explain the walruses’ shockingly unusual sleep patterns.
The Late Sudan: the Last Male Northern White Rhino of Its Kind
Here we see a touching photo of a male northern white rhinoceros by the name of Sudan. At the time this photo was taken, Sudan was widely believed to be the very last of all northern white rhinos in existence. Following his passing in March of 2018, his death left his species on the dangerous brink of extinction.
Named after the Greek words, ‘rhino’ (meaning nose), and ‘ceros’ (meaning horn), according to scientists there are only five rhino species still in existence today: the white and black rhino, found in Africa, the Indian rhino, the Javan rhino and finally, the Sumatran rhino, found in southern Asia. Today, the only hope for the white rhino species lies with the modern day technological science of in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
Cleo and Dona
Cleo, the mother giraffe, is seen in this remarkable photo kissing its precious baby girl, Donna. This photograph was taken on January 15th, 1980, in the Bronx Zoo, where Cloe had been living for several years. Donna, the baby giraffe, was only one month old when this photo was taken, and Cloe, her mother, couldn't wait to show off to the world the wonders of this world.
Donna was hidden from zoo visitors for several months and was not shown to the public until later when she was grown up, less nonverbal, and ready to cope with the roaring crowds.
A Short-eared Owl Soars High in the Sky
With the exception of Australia and Antarctica, this species of owl is found on nearly every continent. Unique to most other species of owls, the short-eared owl species does not “hoot” or “screech.” Instead, it claps. Indeed, the short-eared owl (and some other birds as well) produce a clapping noise—a sound which results when the bird’s wings clap together while in flight.
According to experts, this noise has a few functions, one of which is a behavior pertaining to this owl’s mating behaviors, in which this owl emits this noise in an attempt to attract the attention of any nearby females. Additionally, the clapping noise can also be used to ward off intruders. In yet another attempt to fend off any unwanted guests, when caring for its young, the short-eared owl will also perform an “injured bird” act, in order to fend off any potential intruders.
A Very Tiny Dog Sits On a Very, Very Big Dog - 1950
Taken back in 1950, next on the list is the above, adorable photograph of a small dog hilariously sitting on top of a massive Great Dane. For many, the Great Dane dog breed is a perfect dog breed. Not only do these huge, gentle giants act as extremely loving and nurturing parents to its own pups — and, as exhibited in the above photo, other dog pups as well — the Great Dane is also known to get along particularly well with human children.
First developed in Germany as a dog bred specifically to be large and strong enough to hunt boars — an animal known for its notoriously dangerous aggression and power — the Great Dane was formally recognized as an official dog breed in 1998. Since then, the Great Dane is highly regarded as one of the most popular in the U.S. In the 2017 registration study, this dog breed was ranked the 15th most popular breed!