Humpback whale sleeps suspended upside down underwater in rare and beautiful footage

THIS is the rare and fascinating sight of a sleeping humpback whale suspended upside down near the surface of the ocean.

THIS is the fascinating sight of a humpback whale taking a nap underwater.

The gigantic creature hangs upside down in the sea, one fin outstretched, its tail just floating on the surface.

It can then be seen slowly raising its head up to take a breath, before swimming away along the surface of the ocean.

Most whales are thought to remain semi-conscious while resting to avoid drowning.

The whales have to rear up at least once an hour to get oxygen from the air.

The rare footage was captured by underwater research and video production team Panga MX.

Team member Kieran Bown posted the clip on YouTube, writing: “During a research project throughout January to April 2014 we encountered a sleeping Humpback Whale and managed to get an in water encounter with her. This is a short clip of a 20 minute encounter showing her come up to breath [sic] and check us out.”

As mammals, whales cannot breathe underwater, but they are able to conserve energy and make one breath last for up to an hour. Unlike humans, they have to consciously remember to breathe.

Scientists believe whales remain semi-conscious while resting, shutting off just half of their brains, according to whalefacts.org.

With half of the brain still active, whales can sense danger even when asleep.

Whales can sleep vertically, horizontally and even while swimming slowly along.

It means they can float near the surface, replenishing their oxygen supply when necessary and remaining alert to potential threats.

This is thought to be the sleeping method for most cetaceans, which include porpoises and dolphins, preventing them from drowning while unconscious.

However, a Scottish research team that found a pod of sleeping sperm whales in 2008 claimed the creatures appeared to be fully sleep — but only for 7 per cent of the time.

Most whales and dolphins rest hanging vertically, like the one in this video, or horizontally, a sleeping style known as “logging”.

Young whales sleep while their mother tows them along in her slipstream.