Not every scientist’s attention will be focused on the sky during Monday’s solar eclipse. Animal behaviorists at various zoos along the way will be watching creatures big and small for their reactions to the sudden, unexpected darkness.
The research is an extension of their observations of 2017’s most recent total eclipse in the US, when normally sedentary tortoises began to rustle, frantic giraffes ran aimlessly and siamang gibbons began an abrupt and tumultuous chorus of shrieks and barks.
“Most of the things we saw then were related to what we call circadian responses, so sort of evening behavior, but we also saw a lot of anxiety-related behavior,” said Adam Hartstone-Rose, professor of biological science at the North Carolina State University, who will lead a team of researchers and volunteer observers Monday at the Fort Worth Zoo, Texas.
“Of course, the animals that go to their sleeping area think that night has come. But the anxiety one is a little more mysterious, we don’t know the cause. It could be that the animals are aware of some kind of inequality going on. If it suddenly looks dark, my dog, who is very food-motivated, will worry that we’ve forgotten a meal for him, so that might cross some of these animals’ heads.
“The most likely reason is that the strangest animals of all that we observed in 2017 were the people who did crazy things, and I think that the animals probably have a reaction to the exuberance that the people show.
“The only way to know is to collect as much information as possible, keep trying to replicate it, hopefully find some species in quieter areas, possibly in the wild, and see what they do.”
Hartstone-Rose said much of the data will be collected by about 30 high school volunteers who will travel from Vancouver, Canada to Texas.
“I have been training them for several months and they are going to be the core of our animal observers,” he said.
The team will track many of the species they saw seven years ago when the eclipse passed over Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, South Carolina, the results of which were published in a 2020. paper co-authored by Hartstone-Rose for the National Library of Medicine.
As well as the amorous gopher tortoises, they recorded a male gorilla carrying a glass case, flamingos grouped together in an unusually tight clump, and lorikeets chirping loudly and swinging en masse, which he said was a rare display. of synchronous behavior was.
He also said that “some animals that we think could do something interesting” are also being watched on Monday, such as Fort Worth Zoo’s bonobo monkeys.
“Along with chimpanzees, they are our closest relatives, and are strange, fascinating and very cool monkeys. When bonobos have tension in the group, they also have sexual responses to it. They relieve tension with all kinds of sexual behavior, including homosexual behavior,” Hartstone-Rose said.
Fort Worth is one of a number of zoos that will host special eclipse events and encourage the public to help with animal studies. These include Little Rock Zoo, Arkansas; Toledo Zoo and Aquarium, Ohio; and Indianapolis Zoo, Indiana.
The sightings are more than just recreational, Hartstone-Rose said. “First of all, it’s important for zoos to understand what kinds of activities, what kinds of events, cause anxiety for the animals, and we always try to mitigate that,” he said.
“Pet owners are always worried if their animals are going to be anxious, so understanding if this is really something that causes blackouts in animals is valuable.
“But the main reason it’s important is because it’s a fundamental curiosity that people have. Everyone who owns a dog has wondered at least on a weekly basis what that animal is thinking, and cats are even more mysterious, so it’s something interesting to think about, especially in an event like an eclipse, which ‘ is a powerful and surprisingly emotional experience.
“For this one moment, on this one particular day, everyone is going to have this shared experience. There is something beautiful about it, and sharing it with our animal brothers only adds to it.”
