Penguins get 11 hours of sleep a day — in four-second bouts

And these micro-sleeps can fulfil at least some of the restorative functions of sleep say scientists

In the wild, chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarcticus) sleep for an average of 4 s at a time. Picture: Daisy Gilardini

We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.

A paper just published will interest card-carrying insomniacs. Their complaint, it seems, is shared by penguins. Constant vigilance is essential to penguins when nesting; parents must stay awake and alert at all times to protect their eggs and young from predators. Puccini’s Nessun dorma might be their anthem but, according to the authors of the recent paper, penguins still manage to enjoy ‘great nature’s second course, chief nourisher in life’s feast’.