Total solar eclipse triggers unique behaviour among animals
US researchers and zookeepers observed the behaviour of animals in several zoos along the path of totality during the eclipse which was largely calm
As the fervour to witness the rare celestial event caught entire North America in its grip, scientists and zookeepers closely watched the unfolding animal behaviour during the solar eclipse on Monday (April 8), which threw up some interesting insights.
The scientists studied animals in about half a dozen zoos along the path of total solar eclipse, called the path of totality, a rare event which will take place two decades later in 2044, according to CBS News. They saw giraffes, gorillas, lions, macaws and flamingos exhibiting unusual behaviour.
Keeping their calm
Animals at the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas, for instance, were found calm though some of them like gorillas, lions and lemurs were found to be more vigilant and curious during the event as the Sun passed through various stages of the eclipse.
"Most importantly, we did not observe any signs of increased anxiety or nervous behaviors. And by the time totality had passed, things went back to normal, almost immediately!" CBS News quoted a Fort Worth Zoo spokesperson as saying. As the skies darkened, the Aldabra tortoises, giraffes, elephants, kudu, bonobos, coatis and gorillas headed toward the barn doors, which where they go to during night, the spokesperson added.
The zookeepers also noticed unusual behaviour among the nocturnal animals.
A ringtail cat and two owl species at Fort Worth Zoo showed increased activity during the daytime, according to the spokesperson.
Display of unique behaviour
Giraffes and zebras at the Dallas Zoo, also in Texas, were found running around during the eclipse, while chimpanzees walked around the outer edge of their enclosure vigilantly. A group of gorillas, all bachelors, went to the door as they do during night, with one exception.
Birds also showed unusual behaviour during the eclipse.
The Dallas Zoo found an ostrich to have laid an egg. Other birds became louder before the total eclipse and fell silent after the event. Flamingos and penguins, on the other hand, found huddling together.
Like them, Macaws, budgies and other birds at the Indianapolis Zoo showed nighttime behaviour during the total eclipse as they kept quite and roosted up high. “You can hear they're totally silent now – not a peep, and no movement,” Indianapolis Zoo chief Dr. Robert Shumake was quoted as saying.
Cheetahs were reported to be pacing at the highest point of their grassy habitat even while flamingos huddled together and kept quiet.
Unfazed by eclipse
Most of the animals at the Philadelphia Zoo were, however, found unfazed during the event by several visitors who recorded their behaviour on their mobile phones.
In a 2020 study, researchers reviewed the behaviour of 17 species of mammals, birds and reptiles at the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, South Carolina, during the 2017 eclipse. Most of the animals exhibited a nighttime behaviour, while some of them showed signs of anxiety.
Animals are known to sense and exhibit signs of impending natural disasters like earthquakes and storms in a similar way as they smell danger coming from a predator.
When a massive tsunami hit coastal areas along the Indian Ocean in 2004, eyewitnesses observed a unique behaviour among animal hours before the massive walls of seawater hit the shorelines and destroyed everything in their path. People saw elephants running to higher places, while dogs refused to go out.
