#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Biologists from Norway and Switzerland have discovered that reindeer are capable of falling into a state of slow-wave sleep when chewing cud for a long time. This feature allows the mammals to spend minimal time sleeping during the summer, the researchers write in an article published in the scientific magazine Current Biology.
“This ability plays a significant role in the animals’ lives, since thanks to it deer chew food and sleep simultaneously, which saves them time, and this is most valuable in the summer months of the year”, said Melania Furrer, a researcher at the University of Zurich, whose words are quoted in the magazine.
Scientists discovered this by observing the reindeer’s sleep-wake cycles. Researchers connected electroencephalographs to the heads of four Norwegian nursery animals and tracked how their brain activity changed during winter, summer and the autumn equinox. During these observations, scientists periodically deprived the artiodactyls of sleep and observed their behavior.
The experiment showed that deer spent approximately the same amount of time sleeping in winter, summer and autumn, despite the fact that the animals were more energetic in the warmer months. Subsequent experiments showed that reindeer were able to maintain this level of vitality thanks to the ability to fall into slow-wave sleep while they chew their cud. When they enter this state, they begin to react less frequently to events in the world around them, and the electrical activity of their brain decreases.
Scientists believe that this feature allows reindeer to maintain a nearly 24-hour alertness level during the polar summer, when herbaceous plants and other food become more available. Thanks to this, they quickly gain weight and fully prepare for the harsh Arctic winter.
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Text: Polina Bardik, Photo: Denis Kozhevnikov
