How rested would you feel if you took 10,000 naps a day? Chinstrap Penguins in Antarctica spend their days taking MICRONAPS, each around 4 seconds long. To learn why, Lulu meets one (played by Songbud Alan), who explains how micronaps help them conserve energy and protect their babies from “sky pirates”! Then, in a badgermania, penguin scientists Dr. Eric Wagner and Dr. Dee Boersma answer your questions! Why are penguins black-and-white? Why is their poop pink? What might they dream about? And we learn that what may look like laziness… turns out to be an evolutionary superpower.

Don’t sleep on these articles, maybe read them before your next nap:

Read about chinstrap penguin naps here, and here, and here.

Learn why penguin poop is pink and how it may be helping cool the climate!

Read about how neurons help flush waste out of the brain during sleep.

Terrestrials was created by Lulu Miller with WNYC Studios. This episode was produced by Ana González, with sound design by Mira Burt-Wintonick. Sarah Sandbach is our Executive Producer. Our team also includes Alan Goffinski, Tanya Chawla and Joe Plourde. Factchecking by Sophie Samiee.

Support for Terrestrials is provided by the Simons Foundation, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and the John Templeton Foundation.

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The Snoozer: Penguin Slackerzzz Rule

Terrestrials