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In the momentary twilight of the eclipse on April 8, you’ll probably grab your glasses and rush to the window or outside. But don’t forget to listen too, because the frogs might start singing.
At least that’s what biologist Patrick Paré, director of conservation and research at the Granby Zoo, predicts. Scientists actually expect animals to adopt certain behaviors that are more common at dusk or at night.
It’s not just the wood frogs and spring peepers in your backyard who will think it’s time to use their vocal sacks to attract females. Mr. Paré also wonders if the snow leopard will start to be more active, which is a rather nocturnal animal. And will Japanese macaques seek to get closer to their group?
To answer these questions, a team of 10 observers will be on the lookout for the actions of 12 species housed at the Granby Zoo. In this major research project, they will carefully record their actions every minute for three hours, between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. These observations will take place during the day of the eclipse, but also on four other days to have points of comparison.
“You have to be able to control the other parameters as much as possible to determine the effect of the eclipse. The weather conditions, for example, must be as close as possible,” explains the scientific director.
“Grooming, walking, running, moving to the night quarters, interaction with a technician who cares for it, feeding or searching for food, social intervention”: each person must note the behavior of the specimen they are examining in a list provided to them. layout in an application.
The second method, explains Mr. Paré, consists of noting every five minutes where an individual of the observed species is located in its habitat. Birds will tend to perch; other species, to slow down their pace.
“At twilight, animals of more social species will gather together to avoid predation. In a zoological environment, they maintain certain natural behaviors. » The eclipse will be, in a way, a night that comes without warning for these animals: will they then head towards their night quarters?
Other animals, such as the Himalayan goat, the camel, the dromedary, the zebra, the little panda and the Himalayan bear, will also be studied. Birds, such as Japanese cranes and ostriches, will participate in this research project.
An opportunity to seize
Nighttime has a definite effect on the animal kingdom, but the drop in light in the middle of the afternoon will not affect all living things in the same way. There are few scientific studies to be able to compare the data, notes Mr. Paré: “A total eclipse is a very rare event, and we cannot repeat it as we want to have more data. »
Hypotheses therefore exist, and this experiment promises to bring one more stone to the scientific building in order to go beyond anecdotal evidence. The Forth Worth Zoological Garden, Texas, will conduct a similar experiment, as will those in Toledo, Ohio, and Indianapolis.
The “best and most recent” scientific article on this subject, indicates the biologist, relates to a study carried out in 2017 at the Riverbanks Zoological Garden, in South Carolina.
Giraffes began galloping in “apparent anxiety,” the researchers wrote in a paper later published in 2020. Galapagos tortoises began breeding at the height of the eclipse. Siamang gibbons, a type of primate, sang unusual tunes. The pink flamingos have surrounded their young. The behaviors observed therefore did not only coincide with those which are usual during the night.
As for plants, the effect of the eclipse on them is even more under-documented. Wild sagebrush, called “sagebrush” in English, was also put under the microscope during the 2017 eclipse in the United States. As one might expect, its rate of photosynthesis and transpiration decreased. But when the light suddenly returned, the plant sent stress signals, its usual cycle disrupted a second time.
Even trees hold their breath during a total eclipse, according to a 1999 study which observed a slowdown in the circulation of their sap.
And if you hear amphibians singing on April 8, you could also participate in NASA’s collective project, which encourages citizens to record sounds and images during the eclipse to document its effects on life on the planet.