Wildlife is a world full of dangers. Every minute someone is trying to eat you or take away your territory. But there are animals whom it does not bother at all. Most of the day they prefer to sleep and rest and do it quite successfully. Which animals are the laziest? Why do they act like that? Let's find out.
Do animals have laziness?
It is human nature to anthropomorphize the world around him, which is why he often ascribes to living things completely uncharacteristic for them traits. Thus, we call the laziest animals those individuals who sleep for a long time and move little. For us, this behavior is unacceptable and is considered a real waste of time. But in reality, everything is different.
In the animal world there is no concept of “work”, therefore, there can be no loafers here. The sedentary lifestyle that we take for laziness helps to save energy, because it is incredibly difficult to get it. A hungry beast does not go to supermarkets. To eat, he has to climb trees, attack other animals (sometimes unsuccessfully), fly hundreds of kilometers or wander for weeks in the forests and savannahs. And if winter is near, then each calorie becomes literally worth its weight in gold.
Everything that our smaller brothers do is necessary exclusively for survival and satisfaction of physiological needs. But we continue to evaluate them as people and still call some of them lazy people. Here is a ranking of the most lazy animals of our planet:
- Sloths.
- Koalas.
- Hippos
- Lions
- Domestic cats.
Sloths
Slow and clumsy sloths are considered the most lazy animals in the world. They spend most of their life on a tree, hanging upside down on it. Their tenacious paws hold tight to the branches, preventing the animal from falling. In the hanging position, the sloth sleeps 15 hours a day, eats and educates children, sitting the kids on their belly, as if on a swing. The animal descends extremely rarely and feels very helpless there.
Among mammals, the sloth is the champion in energy conservation, spending only 100 calories per day. He moves slowly, as if in slow motion, but there are reasons for this. The leaves of the plants that he eats have low nutritional value and do not give much energy. Therefore, the animal simply does not have the strength to be more active and mobile.
Koalas
Koala is a representative of marsupials, living exclusively on mainland Australia. He also spends a lot of time in the crowns of the trees, where he sleeps for 16-18 hours a day. It is active mainly at night, but even during wakefulness it can sit motionless for hours.
Like sloths, they have an extremely low metabolism. This is one of the few animals that has learned to eat hard and completely nutritious eucalyptus leaves. They have a lot of essential oils, but few useful substances, so the koala carefully conserves its strength.
Slowness and a tendency to long rest make it an excellent target for predators, but those who want to eat it, you still need to look. The leaves of eucalyptus soak the body and wool of the koala with ethers and give a pronounced smell, scaring away all ill-wishers.
Hippos
In the list of the laziest animals of the planet, hippos also fall. In Greek, their name “hippo” sounds like “river horse”, but they took a little from frisky horses. Hippos grow up to three to five meters in length and weigh about 4-5 tons. They have a stocky structure, a large elongated head and several pairs of powerful and long teeth emerging from the mouth during prolonged yawning of animals.
Hippos live in freshwater in Africa. They swim well, and on land they can reach speeds of up to 48 km / h. However, all day long they prefer to sleep or just sit out in the water, sticking out only eyes and nostrils from it. So they spend up to 20 hours a day, going to land at night to look for food.
Hippos cannot overcome too great distances. If their native pond dries up, they are looking for something else nearby. But when nothing comes near, the animals quickly lose their strength and can die.
Lions
Lions have always served as a symbol of courage and strength. Their powerful paws, strong grip and sharp teeth are unlikely to leave anyone a chance to survive. However, they behave very cautiously and insinuatingly, and in their lifestyle they have earned the title of one of the most lazy animals in the world.
Modern lions inhabit the savannahs of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, as well as the Asian jungle. They are nocturnal predators, so they prefer to rest day and night. Lions sleep 18-20 hours a day, and spend only about two to three hours on walking. They can run fast and jump well, but they do not have great stamina.
The heart of animals is 0.45-0.55% of their body weight, so they quickly expire and are not able to chase a victim for a long time. To save power, lions often hunt in groups, sneaking up on prey from all sides. They approach her at an accessible distance, and then overtake her, making sharp and long jumps.
