Research in a German laboratory involving five lizards called Australian bearded dragons indicates that these reptiles may dream and could prompt a fundamental reassessment of the evolution of sleep.
Scientists said on Thursday they have documented for the first time that reptiles, like people, experience rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep and another sleep stage called slow-wave sleep. Until now, only mammals and birds were known to experience these.
Because REM sleep is when dreaming occurs in people, the findings suggest that these lizards dream, too. But, what would bearded dragons dream about?