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This tactic is known as brood parasitism, and cuckoo birds can reportedly even disguise their shells to resemble the eggs of their involuntary babysitters.
Most sharks are in perpetual motion because their breathing apparatus requires movement, but not the nurse shark. Fondly referred to as "the couch potato of the sea,” nurse sharks can pump water over their gills without moving, allowing them to relax on the ocean floor the majority of the time.
The elusive pygmy blue-tongue lizard, native to Australia, lives in spider burrows and feeds on insects—except they don’t actively catch them. Instead, these lizards lay with their head pointing up and wait for insects to fall in their mouth.
They don’t even leave to drink, as they instead rely on raindrops to fall into their mouths or dew to form around the burrow opening. As lazy as their lifestyle may sound though, it’s mostly a way to avoid predators. Why run for your life if food will eventually fall into your mouth?
That means they also don't need much food to sustain their lazy lifestyle, so they spend much of the day sleeping and only hunt at night for fish, molluscs, and crustaceans—which they do mostly by sucking them up instead of any real hunting.
We're talking about bamboo, of course. When awake, giant pandas spend most of their time eating bamboo, which is low in nutrients, meaning that they have to eat around 44 lbs (20 kg) of it a day to get what they need! So they literally just eat and sleep, and now it makes sense why they look so peaceful.
This species will make the laziest of parents feel good. Rather than taking on the demands of parenthood themselves, cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, leaving them to raise their demanding chicks as their own.
Also known as the spiny anteater, echidnas move at a very slow pace and sleep for roughly 12 hours a day. They have a low body temperature for a mammal and cannot pant or sweat, which means they struggle with warmer temperatures. It's ironic, given where they're from...
In some weird twist of fate, these animals poorly equipped for heat are stuck in Australia’s hot zone. They are usually more active at night and sleep the day away to avoid dealing with the hot sun.
Pythons are feared by many, but they’re actually one of the laziest of the reptiles. The fierce snakes sleep up to 18 hours a day!
Giant pandas are wildlife's masters of napping. The black-and-white bears sleep about 10-12 hours a day in three-hour stints. What makes them so tired? Well, their favorite food is essentially like our junk food: it's not very nutritious, and makes you lethargic.
These giant mammals have perfected the art of laziness, as they sleep 16 to 20 hours a day. They're actually able to nap on both land and water, and have developed a way to rise to the water's surface to breathe while remaining asleep!
Sloths have become synonymous with laziness, and it’s probably because they sleep for up to 20 hours a day and move hilariously slow.
Plus, once they find a cozy spot that provides the food and shelter they need, they’ll stay there, only opting to move if absolutely necessary.
When hippos do wake up to eat, they can spend an impressive five hours on one meal, just grazing away on some grass.
Koalas are only awake for around two to six hours a day, and in that precious time spent conscious, they munch on a diet that makes them sleepy yet again.
Lemurs are surprisingly sleepy little creatures who snooze around 16 hours a day. Typically, they spend their waking hours alone and eating.
These nocturnal creatures sleep for around 17 hours, then after their glorious slumber they eat and socialize in the dark. The primates live in family units consisting of monogamous parents and their dependent offspring, and the females actually get to be lazier since male owl monkeys are the primary caregivers.
Lemurs might not be the laziest on the list, but they’re the cutest at being lazy. When it’s time to catch some shut eye, lemurs form these adorable sleep pods.
Their diet consists largely of eucalyptus leaves, which contain toxins and high levels of fiber–two factors that require a lot of energy to digest. So, koalas really just eat and sleep while looking cute, and we admire that.
They live in the tropical rainforests of South America and spend most of their time hanging from tree branches, also moving only when absolutely necessary. And they look quite happy about it!
Sure, they can be extremely alert and agile, but everyone knows house cats love to laze around, preferably in a patch of sun.
The armadillo sleeps for around 18-19 hours a day, and scientists aren’t entirely sure why! These animals have, however, gained a lot of fame for their lazy trait.
The king of the jungle indeed is as lazy as a king would be! Lions sleep for about 18-20 hours, largely because their environments are hot and hunting requires a lot of energy. Lions prove that you can be lazy and still achieve fame for your ferocious work at the top of the food chain!
Sources: (One Kind Planet) (A-Z Animals) (Mom.com)
See also: The lost art of laziness, and why it’s good for youThe lazy pig—surprise, surprise. Pigs sleep the majority of the day, but they have good reason: they love to snuggle close to one another and snooze nose-to-nose.
Researchers believe the house cat's sleep pattern hails from their ancestors' genes, who would hunt on the Sahara and needed to conserve energy to catch prey.
Pythons are so sleepy because they only eat once a week, and it takes tons of energy to digest their wholly swallowed prey. Skin shedding is their other energy-demanding task, and to prepare for it they may sleep for an entire week!
Opossums are fantastic sleepers, getting an impressive 18 to 20 hours of sleep a day. But when they're awake, they're not charged with energy—instead, they move at a glacial pace.
After a day of sitting down, first at work or school and then at home while you binge your latest favorite show, it can feel like humans are the laziest species alive. But fear not, for there are plenty of way lazier animals out there!
These animals also have hilarious habits that either force or facilitate their laziness, and it all just goes to prove that nature has a seriously incredible sense of humor. Click through to see the laziest of them all, and find out how they're actually biologically inclined to inertia.
The laziest animals on the planet, and their hilarious quirks
Nature seems to work in laziness' favor
LIFESTYLE Fun facts
After a day of sitting down, first at work or school and then at home while you binge your latest favorite show, it can feel like humans are the laziest species alive. But fear not, for there are plenty of way lazier animals out there!
These animals also have hilarious habits that either force or facilitate their laziness, and it all just goes to prove that nature has a seriously incredible sense of humor. Click through to see the laziest of them all, and find out how they're actually biologically inclined to inertia.