Photographer Franco Banfi and a team of scuba divers were following a pod of sperm whales in Dominica Island when suddenly the large creatures became motionless and began to take a synchronized vertical rest. This strange sleeping position was first discovered only in 2008, when a team of biologists from the UK and Japan drifted into their own group of non-active sperm whales. After studying tagged whales the team learned this collective slumber occurs for approximately 7 percent of the animal’s life, in short increments of just 6-24 minutes.
You can see more of the Switzerland-based photographer’s underwater photography on his website and Instagram
Source: A Photographer Captures the Unusual Way Sperm Whales Sleep via thisiscollosal.com, July 4, 2017)
Thank you Eric.
wow, what an interesting phenomenon. i feel that i could be a great part of any synchronized napping team, just waiting to be called upon.
Sign me up for that team!
I love this! Watched Thr Blue Planet this weekend – its all magical
It is!
Amazing! It’s like a living Stonehenge!
Ha! Yes!
good
It is!
Wow what an amazing phenomenon and such a beautiful picture too.
Yes! Agree. A miracle, all of it!
Yes absolutely true.
It looks a bit like “circle the wagons.” In this formation each whale is on guard against danger for the group. They all are angled a bit towards the outside, from where danger might approach. Just a thought….
What an insight!!!! Wow.
TY, but really, don’t you think so?
It’s as plausible as someone believing that they are sleeping. Who knows!
Haha. Now I’m going to be thinking about that all night. (When I think I’m sleeping.)
So interesting…so much yet to be discovered in this vast world…amazing photo.
So true!
the world under the sea has the cure for cancer i bet
and a whole bunch of other miracles I bet!
You know they are meditating don’t you David 💛
Smiling! (Like Col Clink used to Say on Hogan’s Heros: “I know nothing!”)
😆