Tracey Hall, age 8, of Utica, New York, for her question:

Do goldfish sleep?

Naturally we know that a goldfish does not go to bed, close his eyes and fall asleep as we do. But he does take rest periods. Sometimes he stops swimming around and stays still, maybe near the side or bottom of a bowl. For him, this is a sort of nap.

However, he does not close his staring eyes, or so it seems. Actually he cannot do this because he does not have movable eyelids. His eyelids are made of glassy, clear skin ¬and they are sealed shut. So, even when he takes his little nap, his eyes seem to be wide open as usual.