Why do some four-legged animals sleep while standing?

Answer 1

it's a herd instinct to protect the animal from predators. notice that only herbivores do this.

Answer 2

Horses have a special equipment of interlocking ligaments and bones of their legs, which serves as a sling to droop their bodyweight without rigidity on an identical time as their muscular tissues are thoroughly comfortable. consequently, horses do no longer ought to volume any power consciously to proceed to be status - their legs are locked interior the appropriate place for the time of sleep. maximum horses do maximum of their dozing on an identical time as status, yet kinds fluctuate. Veterinarians think of its now common for horses to stand consistently for as long as a month, or greater. because of the fact horses are heavy yet have extremely fragile bones, mendacity in one place for an prolonged time might reason muscle cramps. on an identical time as you may purely speculate approximately why the pony's physique developed in this variety, maximum mavens have faith that wild horses slept on an identical time as status for protecting applications. interior the wild, the pony's chief potential of secure practices and get away from predators advance into its velocity. They have been much less susceptible on an identical time as status and much less apt to be caught by potential of marvel than whilst mendacity down.

Answer 3

I know many two leg people sleeping standing, "working", operating", etc.! Plenty never wake up throughout their lives!

Answer 4

They may need to make a fast getaway from predators, so they need all the headstart they can get.

Answer 5

if they need a headstart from predators, then they should sleep while running

Answer 6

because if they fall over the wrong way they will fall over. Its true

Answer 7

they are naturally created like that.

Answer 8

BCOZ, they can.