Millions of people witnessed the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. That same day, staff at the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas noticed strange animal behavior. Dr. According to John Griffioen (John GriffioenThe gorilla working at the zoo headed for the door as if it was bedtime, and two flocks of flamingos huddled together.

Animals living in the wild also reacted unusually to this astronomical event.

Kim Rosvall, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at Indiana University, stated on social media that she heard coyotes howling during the eclipse and said, “It is difficult to express in words how incredible this is.” Scientists have long tried to understand how animals’ circadian rhythms are disrupted by a brief moment of night in the middle of the day.

At the South Carolina Zoo in 2017, giraffes huddled together and turtles mated in the sudden darkness. Researchers also observed bumblebees that suddenly stopped buzzing during the eclipse. But because total solar eclipses are rare, it is extremely difficult for scientists to detect trends or measurable data on animal behavior.

To get closer to the answer, NASA turned to the public and invited everyone to join the project Eclipse Soundscapes ProjectIts purpose is to study how solar eclipses affect life on Earth.