Why Do Chinstrap Penguins Constantly Blink Their Eyes? 为什么帽带企鹅不停地眨眼睛？

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.

帽带企鹅的名字源于它们下巴下面的一条细黑线，看起来像系在黑色帽子或头盔上的一条带子。和其他企鹅一样，它们大部分时间都在水中，捕鱼为食。但当到了抚育幼崽的时期，它们就会回到陆地上。

抚育幼崽是一项挑战。它们通常把蛋产在用小石块做成的巢里，这样可以防止蛋被冻坏。父母中的一个会长时间留守巢穴，而另一个则会出去觅食。

留守的企鹅必须时刻保持警惕。一种名叫褐贼鸥的鸟会捕食企鹅蛋和幼崽。在拥挤的区域，其他企鹅可能会拿走筑巢的石头，使企鹅幼崽处于危险之中。

但是，要企鹅父母24小时保持警惕并保护巢穴是很困难的。对幼崽来说，好好睡一觉可能是致命的。因此，帽带企鹅找到了一种方法来解决这个问题。

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.

在一项新的研究中，科学家们报告称，帽带企鹅每天要打数千次盹。每次小憩或“微睡眠”只持续大约4秒。科学家们说，通过每天进行超1万次的微睡眠，帽带企鹅一天的睡眠时长约为11小时。

一位名叫Won Young Lee的科学家注意到，帽带企鹅父母总是不停地眨眼睛，他开始好奇它们是在睡觉，还是只是在眨眼睛。

于是他和一些科学家给14只帽带企鹅的头部安装了小型电子设备。这些设备让科学家们能够监测帽带企鹅的大脑活动。与此同时，科学家们还用视频记录下了这些企鹅的行为。

经过对这些企鹅进行11天的研究后，科学家们发现，疲惫的父母实际上是在睡觉，而且经常是小睡片刻。

目前还不清楚微睡眠是否能真正让帽带企鹅得到休息，还是仅仅能让它们维持活动。不过帽带企鹅能够连续数周保持这种状态，这使它们能够保护巢穴、蛋和幼崽。