With the eclipse approaching, have you ever thought about how it will affect animals? Will your pets be scared? Will birds migrate? Will monkeys run for shelter?
In short, there is still no scientific consensus on whether or not eclipses cause animals to act strangely, but there have been numerous reports of animals exhibiting unusual or strange behavior during total solar eclipses.
Scientists will be paying close attention to the routines of animals at the Fort Worth Zoo on April 8 to see if the eclipse changes their behavior.
In a previous study of animal behavior at a South Carolina zoo in 2017, researchers saw Galapagos tortoises mating during the peak of the eclipse, male giraffes galloping in apparent fear, flamingos huddling around their juveniles, and other animals beginning their early dusk routines.
Researchers have also said that some animals seek shelter during an eclipse because it mimics fast-moving storms.
Total solar eclipses are rare events that occur in the same location every 375 years. Each time a total eclipse occurs, it’s in a different location or at a different time of year, making it more difficult for researchers to collect data and determine if an animal is acting strange because of the eclipse, because it’s being observed, or just because of chance.
The animals we will most likely see acting strange are our pets, not specifically because of the eclipse, but because of us. University of Arkansas animal researcher Raffaela Lesch told the Associated Press that pets pay a lot of attention to us, and if we’re acting excited, they’re going to be excited too.
