An elephant family is sleeping photographed by a drone Elephants sleep on average two hours a night, the shortest recorded time for a land mammal. Some days they don’t sleep at all, staying awake for up to 46 consecutive hours and covering considerable distances of about 30 kilometers. It seems that elephants only reach the REM phase every three or four days, which makes them unique animals. Experts believe this might be due to disturbances caused by the presence of lions or poachers that keep them in a constant state of alert.