Mallard Duck Research Paper
Sheryl Purcell
English 1102-Essay 2 Rough Draft
October 14, 2011
“ \=][uldn’t it be great to dose off at work and still get things done?”
Sleep. It is probably safe to say that this is one of the most important aspects of an organism’s life. Sleep allows living things to rest and store energy that will be needed once they awake. If you think about it, sleep does have some serious evolutionary disadvantages. When asleep, you are vulnerable to predation and sudden changes in the environment. Studies have shown that birds and other mammals can sleep with one eye open and one half of their brain awake, a phenomenon called unihemispheric sleep. The Mallard duck is one type of animal that utilizes unihemispheric sleep. These
English 1102-Essay 2 Rough Draft
October 14, 2011
“ \=][uldn’t it be great to dose off at work and still get things done?”
Sleep. It is probably safe to say that this is one of the most important aspects of an organism’s life. Sleep allows living things to rest and store energy that will be needed once they awake. If you think about it, sleep does have some serious evolutionary disadvantages. When asleep, you are vulnerable to predation and sudden changes in the environment. Studies have shown that birds and other mammals can sleep with one eye open and one half of their brain awake, a phenomenon called unihemispheric sleep. The Mallard duck is one type of animal that utilizes unihemispheric sleep. These