Do ants sleep?

1. 76

   LeonJaneposted 13 years ago

   Do ants sleep?
   
   Ants seem like busy insects, always on the move, so do they sleep at all?

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2. 95

   angela_michelleposted 13 years ago

   This states that at least one breed of ants do sleep. It's definitely interesting question. i was really curious myself.
   
   http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_ants_sleep

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3. 84

   Wayne Brownposted 13 years ago

   Yes I believe they do although I have no scientific studies to cite or any proof thereof.  I have also never been able to get an ant to stop long enough for an interview on the subject.  In my mind, I envision them sleeping in shifts so that the mound is always fully staffed and in full operation.  I think it is a lot like being on a submarine where you have a tiny little space that you share with other ants and you sleep stacked up in bunks.  There are also ants on staff schooled in such specialties as insommia and interpetation of dreams in order that anything that might interfere with the sleep process can be addressed immediately.  I also think there is that possibility that ants may engage in sleep-walking to the extent that they find themselves waking up in some really strange places and may be missing from the mound for days on end while they re-orient themselves and find their way back to the mound.  I think ants sleep lying on their backs with their legs straight up in the air to fend off anything that might attempt to lay on them.  Some of them probably snore and suffer from serious ailments such as sleep apenia.  When that occurs, those ants are asked to sleep outside the mound so as to not influence the healthy sleep patterns of other ants.  Although busy, ants are quite courteous to each other and often go to great lengths to accomodate the comfort levels of their fellow ants.  We humans could learn a great deal about compassion from the ant species.  Yes, most definitely, I think they do sleep.  WB

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4. 60

   Jobberwockyposted 13 years ago

   Ants do not sleep, they just rest during rainy days I think.....

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5. 53

   sriram7569posted 13 years ago

   ants do sleep, although the amount of sleep an individual ant had varied by caste. Workers had an average of 253 'sleep episodes' a day, but each lasted an average of only 1.1 minutes, for a total of approximately 4.8 hours of sleep overall. By contrast, queens only experienced 92 sleep episodes, but each lasted an average of 6 minutes, for a total of 9.4 hours of sleep overall.

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6. 60

   suny51posted 13 years ago

   i don't think ants sleep,'cause whenever i saw them,found them just walking in a row,even if they stopped, it was just for a moment, then  marched ahead again.

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7. 58

   craftyzenposted 13 years ago

   At least one species of ant sleeps. In the July 2009 edition of the Journal of Insect Behaviour, Deby L. Cassill, Skye Brown, Devon Swick and George Yanev published an article entitled 'Polyphasic Wake/Sleep Episodes in the Fire Ant, Solenopsis Invicta'.
   
   In that article, Cassill et al. found that fire ants do sleep, although the amount of sleep an individual ant had varied by caste. Workers had an average of 253 'sleep episodes' a day, but each lasted an average of only 1.1 minutes, for a total of approximately 4.8 hours of sleep overall. By contrast, queens only experienced 92 sleep episodes, but each lasted an average of 6 minutes, for a total of 9.4 hours of sleep overall.
   
   In addition, the study found that fire ant sleep was unaffected by light or darkness, and that queens experienced periods of 'rapid antenna movement' sleep. The authors suggested this 'RAM' sleep might be equivalent to vertebrate REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.

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8. 61

   JonesChicagoposted 13 years ago

   You will have to do some research as 'sleep' varies by species of ant.

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9. 61

   John B Baddposted 13 years ago

   yes she does but my uncle gets mad when she sleeps in on the weekend

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10. 52

    BeckyAposted 12 years ago

    What an interesting question!  I didn't know about ants sleeping until I read some of the answers here, but I have seen a bumblebee asleep in a zinnia flower.  It was lying on its stomach on a petal about halfway down, with its legs hanging over the sides of the petal and its head on one side.  I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself!

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11. 62

    Youniverse Worldposted 12 years ago

    I think every live organism sleeps more or less!

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12. 0

    David99999posted 12 years ago

    Yes. I believe that they do.  Just like all other creatures - from fish to birds to mammals, ants undoubtedly require slumber at some point.

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