Why Do Chinstrap Penguins Constantly Blink Their Eyes? 為什么帽帶企鵝不停地眨眼睛？

Chinstrap penguins get their name from the thin black line under their chins， which looks like a strap holding on a black hat or helmet. Like other penguins， they spend much of their time in the water， catching fish to eat. But when the time comes to raise their young， they return to land.

Raising young penguins is a challenge. The eggs are often laid in nests made of small rocks to keep the eggs from freezing. One parent takes care of the nest for long periods of time， while the other parent hunts for food.

The parent must constantly keep a sharp lookout. Birds called brown skuas target the eggs and young penguins. Other penguins in these crowded areas may take stones from the nest， putting the young in danger.

But it’s hard to stay alert and protect a nest 24 hours a day. Getting a good night’s sleep could be deadly for the young. So chinstrap penguins have found a way of solving the problem.

帽帶企鵝的名字源于它們下巴下面的一條細黑線，看起來像系在黑色帽子或頭盔上的一條帶子。和其他企鵝一樣，它們大部分時間都在水中，捕魚為食。但當到了撫育幼崽的時期，它們就會回到陸地上。

撫育幼崽是一項挑戰。它們通常把蛋產在用小石塊做成的巢里，這樣可以防止蛋被凍壞。父母中的一個會長時間留守巢穴，而另一個則會出去覓食。

留守的企鵝必須時刻保持警惕。一種名叫褐賊鷗的鳥會捕食企鵝蛋和幼崽。在擁擠的區域，其他企鵝可能會拿走筑巢的石頭，使企鵝幼崽處于危險之中。

但是，要企鵝父母24小時保持警惕并保護巢穴是很困難的。對幼崽來說，好好睡一覺可能是致命的。因此，帽帶企鵝找到了一種方法來解決這個問題。

In a new study， scientists report that chinstrap penguins take thousands of tiny naps each day. Each nap—or “microsleep”—lasts only about 4 seconds. By taking over 10，000 microsleeps a day， the scientists say the penguins get a daily total of about 11 hours of sleep.

The scientists became curious about whether the penguins were sleeping after one scientist， Won Young Lee， noticed that the chinstrap parents were constantly blinking their eyes. He wondered if more was happening than just blinking.

So he and a group of scientists attached tiny electrical devices to the heads of 14 chinstrap penguins. The devices allowed the scientists to measure the brain activity of the penguins. At the same time， the scientists recorded the birds on video.

Eleven days of studying the penguins revealed that the tired parents were actually sleeping—very often， and for very short time periods.

It’s not clear if the microsleeps allow the penguins to actually feel rested， or if it’s just enough to allow them to keep going. But the penguins are able to keep the pattern up for weeks， which allows them to protect their nests， eggs， and babies.

在一項新的研究中，科學家們報告稱，帽帶企鵝每天要打數千次盹。每次小憩或“微睡眠”只持續大約4秒。科學家們說，通過每天進行超1萬次的微睡眠，帽帶企鵝一天的睡眠時長約為11小時。

一位名叫Won Young Lee的科學家注意到，帽帶企鵝父母總是不停地眨眼睛，他開始好奇它們是在睡覺，還是只是在眨眼睛。

于是他和一些科學家給14只帽帶企鵝的頭部安裝了小型電子設備。這些設備讓科學家們能夠監測帽帶企鵝的大腦活動。與此同時，科學家們還用視頻記錄下了這些企鵝的行為。

經過對這些企鵝進行11天的研究后，科學家們發現，疲憊的父母實際上是在睡覺，而且經常是小睡片刻。

目前還不清楚微睡眠是否能真正讓帽帶企鵝得到休息，還是僅僅能讓它們維持活動。不過帽帶企鵝能夠連續數周保持這種狀態，這使它們能夠保護巢穴、蛋和幼崽。