The event of a solar eclipse transcends the astronomical meaning, occurring when the Moon completely blocks the Sun from Earth’s view and darkens skies across a region. Solar eclipses have been referenced throughout history as a time of change and intention-setting for spiritualists or as the source of several cultural folk stories. The impacts of solar eclipses are not limited to changes in the sky or in human behavior, but also in terms of animal behavior. The most recent solar eclipse visible in the United States occurred on April 8, 2024. Research on eclipses and different habitats illustrates that intelligent animals, especially, have an awareness of the phenomenon that they display through abnormal behaviors.
“20 dolphins and whales breached the water’s surface in a breathtaking display”
Intelligent animals like dolphins notice the astronomical change and display signs of curiosity. Dr. Douglas Duncan, director of the Fiske Planetarium at the University of Colorado, personally witnessed how 20 dolphins and whales breached the water’s surface in a breathtaking display. Whales and dolphins are regarded as some of the most intelligent creatures of the sea, which can be attributed to the presence of spindle neurons in their brains. Spindle neurons are integral in being able to reason, recognize novelty, perceive new stimuli, and communicate. Dolphins have an extremely complex limbic (emotional) system, and it might be worthwhile for researchers to explore how an eclipse may impact their social behavior amongst themselves.
Our distant relatives, chimpanzees, are also highly intelligent and sensitive to solar eclipses. A study in the American Journal of Primatology, based on the May 30, 1984 solar eclipse, examined the behavior of chimpanzees housed in the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center in Georgia. This observational study found that once the light faded away and temperatures dropped, the chimpanzees gathered together on a climbing structure while positioning themselves up towards the sky. At the conclusion of the eclipse, the chimpanzees returned to their normal behavior, indicating that they were able to recognize the eclipse as novel. Chimpanzees have brains similar to humans and are well-equipped to retain long term memory, which may play a role in their recognition of the eclipse’s abnormality.
Other animals respond to eclipses in the same way they would respond to nightfall, with some even displaying anxious behaviors. A study by professor Adam Hartstone-Rose and his team used the 2017 total eclipse as a foundation for examining animal behavior across 17 species of animals residing in the Riverbanks Zoo in South Carolina. Gorillas and giraffes both responded to the eclipse by retreating towards their enclosures and turning away from zoo onlookers. Typically, gorillas are calm animals and have stable moods unless confronted by another animal, and giraffes are somewhat similar: they are “socially aloof, forming no lasting bonds with [their] fellows and associating in the most casual way.” Once the sun was uncovered, both animal groups resumed their daytime activities like pacing, galloping, and swaying with little agitation.
Llamas are also sensitive to external stimuli and responded to the 1984 eclipse by migrating toward the phenomenon and staring up at the fully-covered sun. Elephants displayed similar behaviors and herded towards shelter, a common nighttime behavior. Although they are considered highly intelligent beings in terms of cognition and social ability, elephants have poor vision, which may play a role in their perception of the eclipse as nightfall. This may explain their lack of significant response to the atypical event.
There is a wide diversity in the ways different animals react to eclipses, and many current sources stem from the 1970s and 1980s. NASA explains that in a singular location on the planet, an eclipse usually occurs every 360 years, meaning that there is a lack of long-term research on specific species’ reactions to this celestial occurrence. With more eclipses comes the opportunity to study animals across the entire globe in terms of their social, sleep, and feeding patterns.
“In a singular location on the planet, an eclipse usually occurs every 360 years”
The recent solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024 gave scientists an additional chance to explore animal behavior during these events. Professor Hartstone-Rose, hoping to continue his research from the 2017 eclipse, even enlisted the help of citizen scientists across the country this year, asking volunteers to report on the behavior of animals around them. Definitive research results are not yet available, but hopefully each eclipse can bring us closer to understanding animals’ varied reactions to this rare celestial phenomenon.
