![\"Solar](\"https:\/\/images.newscientist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/06191021\/SEI_194802940.jpg?width=1200\")
<\/div>We are still trying to understand how animals respond to a solar eclipse<\/p>\n
\u015e. U\u011fur OK\u00c7u\/1001slide\/iStockphoto\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n
A total solar eclipse<\/a> is impossible not to notice \u2013 the disc of the sun is completely covered by the moon, its shadow rushes across the surface of the earth, the temperature drops precipitously. Even animals seem to notice, and researchers around the world have studied how they react.<\/p>\n Researchers have observed all sorts of animals during solar eclipses, from wild hippopotamuses to pet dogs. Some of the most thorough studies, though, have been performed in zoos around the world.<\/p>\n Adam Hartstone-Rose<\/a> at North Carolina State University and his colleagues performed one of the biggest such studies<\/a> during the eclipse that crossed the US in 2017. \u201cTo be entirely honest, I didn\u2019t think we were going to see anything interesting. Animals see clouds go overhead all of the time, occasionally it\u2019s overcast \u2013 I didn\u2019t think animals were going to care at all about this,\u201d says Hartstone-Rose. \u201cAstonishingly, three-quarters of the species that we watched had some sort of reaction.\u201d<\/p>\n Most of those animals seemed to think it was nighttime during totality, the period in which the sun was completely hidden behind the moon. This might not come as a surprise to those who have witnessed a solar eclipse anywhere outdoors, as it has been known for centuries that birds and insects<\/a> tend to quiet down and seek their nests.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe gorillas usually hang out on the yard all day and then they go inside at night, so during totality the whole group of gorillas sort of marched over to the door and were perplexed why no one was letting them in,\u201d says Hartstone-Rose. Similarly, he observed birds going to their roosts to bed down. Once totality ended, the gorillas and birds went back to their normal daytime activities. Past studies have also seen spiders taking down their webs during totality and bats briefly emerging<\/a> from their daytime resting spots.<\/p>\n The other reaction that the researchers spotted in many of the animals was anxiety. \u201cWe have a lot of experience trying to assess anxiety in animals, especially in zoo animals, because we\u2019re always trying to mitigate that,\u201d says Hartstone-Rose. \u201cSo we\u2019re very cognisant of behaviours that might indicate anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n These reactions can include pacing, huddling together and increased vocalisation. \u201cGiraffes only run when they\u2019re basically running for their lives, but during the eclipse some of the giraffes started running around like the sky was falling down,\u201d says Hartstone-Rose. \u201cA few animals had reactions like that.\u201d Baboons, for example, were seen to cluster into groups and run around together.<\/p>\n On 8 April a total solar eclipse will pass over Mexico, the US and Canada. Our special series is covering everything you need to know, from how and when to see it to some of the weirdest eclipse experiences in history.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n A few animals performed completely novel behaviours \u2013 some Galapagos tortoises<\/a> began mating during the eclipse, and all of them gazed up at the sky after totality had passed. Past studies of hippopotamuses have found that they, too, remained agitated even after the peak of an eclipse.<\/p>\n However, it is difficult to tell which animal behaviours are caused by the eclipse itself and which are a reaction to the crowds of people an eclipse draws \u2013 particularly in zoos, where animals and people are in close contact. For the same reason, it is difficult to reach conclusions about changes in pet behaviour<\/a> during an eclipse.<\/p>\n Hartstone-Rose and his colleagues will be conducting another zoo study during the total solar eclipse on 8 April, observing some of the same species as last time to see if their behaviour matches, as well as collecting data on new species. They are also running a participatory science project<\/a> through which anyone can report their observations of animals during the eclipse. By searching for patterns in animals\u2019 behaviour during unusual events like eclipses, we may be able to understand their thought processes more generally.<\/p>\n Topics:<\/p>\n<\/section><\/div>\n![\"ER8EXD](\"https:\/\/images.newscientist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/27195123\/SEI_193518799.jpg?width=300\")
<\/picture>\nSolar Eclipse 2024<\/h3>\n