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Ive always wondered when Ive come across animals lying down like the zebras I came across just outside of satara whether they are actually sleeping or if they are just lying down, and then ofcourse the major risk factor that it involves how do they know if its safe to lie down or not, it can't be an easy feat for a giraffe just to up and run with those long legs if the get caught unawares, who can share any enlightenment on this subject for me?

Herd animals like zebra (and indeed even domestic horses in a mob) will have a system whereby some individuals can rest and perhaps even sleep whilst one or several others will remain alert. Even with my horses at home, I rarely if ever see all four lying down at the same time. One will always remain standing and with all senses 'switched on' to be alert to any threats.

thanks for the info Threedogs what your saying makes sense except on that day all the zebra were lying down the only things standing up were the wildebeest could it be possible that the wildebeest were their lookouts then??

Just a bit of info on the Giraffe

Quote:

The giraffe has one of the shortest sleep requirements of any mammal, which is between 10 minutes and two hours in a 24-hour period, averaging 1.9 hours per day

Thanks for that Phillip I didn't know that

Yes, definitely the wildebeest can be doing the 'lookout' duties and the zebra are taking advantage of the fact.


When we did a walk from Shingwedzi, we walked up reasonably close to an old dagga boy who was asleep (yeah I was a bit nervous lol). The guide had only just finished telling us that the oxpecker bird I think it was, will alert the buffalo to our presence and sure enough it did! The old buff was on his feet in a second.

I do agree that animals will always have a lookout available for security, even in mixed species.
At Satara this past week we were quite amazed at how trusting a pair of African Mourning Doves became.
After hanging around the bungalow for a while hoping for a handout the one hopped up onto the wall around the veranda and within touching distance of my SO and went to sleep!
But watching it I could see that it was really only sleeping with half an eye.
Then suddenly without any warning they both flew off at high speed.

Ive got to say that is one fact I have witnessed the oxpeckers they are like built in alarm systems, baboons and monkeys I know always have a dedicated lookout who raises the alarm

I think birds have another type of built in sensor I saw a baby bird in the road the other day which I thought couldn't fly so I stopped to pick it up and move it into the bushes as I was afraid the traffic would kill it just as I was about to pick it up it flew to the bushes later coming back I found it back in the road again still behaving as if it couldn't odd