Total Solar Eclipse: Scientists To Observe Changes In Animal Behaviour

An astronomical spectacle is all set to captivate skywatchers as a total solar eclipse is set to grace the skies across North America, turning day into night, on April 8.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is closer to Earth than average and passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, blocking sunlight and casting a shadow on Earth's surface.

This year, the peak spectacle is expected to last for up to 4 minutes and 28 seconds in the path of total darkness. This is twice as long as the total solar eclipse that dimmed skies in the US back in 2017.

To observe how animals' routines are disrupted during this year's total solar eclipse, researchers will remain on standby at the Texas-based Fort Worth Zoo, the Associated Press reported.

Earlier, they detected strange animal behaviours during the 2017 eclipse at a zoo in South Carolina.

Adam Hartstone-Rose, a researcher at the North Carolina State University, said, “To our astonishment, most of the animals did surprising things”.

During the 2017 eclipse, Hartstone-Rose and his team compared the behaviours of 17 species, including mammals, birds, and reptiles, at the Riverbanks Zoo in South Carolina. The result showed that around 75 per cent of these species exhibited a behavioural response to the eclipse, with the "majority of these animals engaging in their established evening or nighttime behaviours."

How animals reacted to the 2017 eclipse?

Hartstone-Rose asserted that Galapagos tortoises at the zoo which "generally do absolutely nothing all day... during the peak of the eclipse, they all started breeding". The reason behind this is still unclear.

During the afternoon eclipse six years ago, a mated pair of Siamangs gibbons sang unusual tunes, while a few male giraffes began to gallop in “apparent anxiety,” he added.

2024 Total Solar Eclipse

The upcoming total solar eclipse in April offers a fresh opportunity for Hartstone-Rose and his team to study similar species in Texas and study whether the behaviours they witnessed before in South Carolina point to larger patterns or not.

Other similar zoos that fall along the path are also inviting visitors to help track animals. These include zoos in Arkansas, Toledo, Ohio and Indianapolis.

Also, this year's eclipse in North America takes a different route compared to the 2017 eclipse, and occurs in a different season, providing researchers and scientists opportunities to observe new habits, the Associated Press reported.

Jennifer Tsuruda, an entomologist at the University of Tennessee observed honeybee colonies during the 2017 eclipse. “It's really high stakes. We have a really short period to observe them and we can't repeat the experiment,” she said.

The last full social eclipse in the US happened in August 2017. The upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8 further provides an opportunity for researchers to ask questions including about potential impacts on spring migration as well.