Go ahead, sleep in. It’s good for ya!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science
Lee Hsiang Liow and colleagues of the University of Oslo identified over forty-five hundred mammal species exhibiting “sleep-or-hide” behavior. Think tunneling, burrowing, or hibernating. They then looked at the “Red List” of endangered species, compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
And—? Relatively few “sleep-or-hiders” are in danger of extinction!
The researchers believe snuggling underground or in dens shelters those lazybones from predators, climate change, and other stressors.
Animals that hibernate, like bears, also seem to adapt to environmental change better than those who stay awake.
The trade off? Sleep-or-hide mammals may survive longer, but other species have higher reproduction rates.
I guess you’d say they breed more like, er, rabbits!
Reference: Liow, L. H., Fortelius, M., Lintulaakso, K., Mannila, H., & Stenseth, N. C. (2009). Lower extinction risk in sleep-or-hide mammals. The American naturalist, 173(2), 264–272. https://doi.org/10.1086/595756