5 startling animal behaviour during past eclipses: ‘Birds fell from sky, giraffes galloped’
The first solar eclipse of 2024 falls today, April 8, and it will be a Total Solar Eclipse, wherein the Moon will completely block the face of the Sun, and the sky will look as if it were dusk or dawn.
Though it will not be visible in India, the Total Solar Eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. As this rare celestial event is just a few hours away, let us take a look at how animals have behaved during past eclipses.
1- Giraffes galloped, and bumblebees stopped buzzing
During the 2017 solar eclipse – which lasted for two minutes and 42 seconds – giraffes in a South Carolina zoo galloped nervously, and tortoises mated. Additionally, bumblebees stopped buzzing in the states of Oregon, Idaho, and Missouri, as per a report by BBC.
2- Frogs started croaking, raptors stopped circling
As soon as the Moon cloaked the Sun in 2001, eclipse-chaser Tora Greve noticed some interesting behaviour among the animals. Frogs started croaking and raptors stopped circling in Zambia, reported National Geographic. Additionally, giraffes began running around erratically when the Moon blocked the Sun’s rays. Once the eclipse ended, the animals returned to their normal behaviour.
3- Birds and bats appear out of nowhere
The outlet also reported how birds and bats reacted during the 1999 solar eclipse. Veteran eclipse-chaser Peter den Hartog witnessed an increase in the number of flies, birds and bats that appeared out of nowhere during the celestial event. He was in Hungary at that time and reported on the unusual behaviour of these animals.
4- Change in activities of birds during and after eclipse
During the 1991 total eclipse, Dave Balch, an eclipse-chaser and author, reported that the birds were chirping. However, as soon as the Sun disappeared, it became “deathly quiet”, as per a report by National Geographic.
5- Birds fell down from the sky
On August 21, 1560, a total eclipse was seen in Portugal sky. Astronomer Christoph Clavius noted that “birds fell down from the sky to the ground in terror of such horrid darkness.”
In addition to the above, crickets chirped, whales breached, and dairy cows returned to their barn during the celestial events in the past.