Total solar eclipse had impact on animals

People were talking about the birds and the bees and the total solar eclipse.

But they may have been missing the peripheral effects of the April 8 total solar eclipse on animals, especially those in the path of totality.

“The side consequences are more impactful on animals than the actual eclipse,” said Angela Green-Miller, a University of Illinois professor who works with animal behavior, animal systems and welfare.

It’s things like increased traffic among eclipse watchers that farmers and animal managers should have prepared for, she said. While the eclipse itself lasted only about four minutes, other impacts lasted for hours.

Having experienced a four-hour drive taking eight hours after the last total solar eclipse, Green-Miller encouraged farmers to plan ahead.

Be aware that feed deliveries may have been delayed in slow traffic. 

During the eclipse itself, animals often react either like it’s sunset or a storm is coming. It might have created some confusion for animals outdoors, but animals indoors might not  have noticed the difference, she said.

Animal experts know from experience how animals are likely to react during an eclipse, said Brent Pease, assistant professor in the forestry department at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Since the mid-1900s, much has been written on how wildlife responds.

“Birds generally become quiet. Nocturnal insects, like crickets, vocalize. Spiders repair their webs. Bees retreat to their hives,” he said.

What’s different now is the increased input from technology to observe this behavior. And the ability to “engage the public with the scientific process,” said Pease, who is involved with Eclipse SoundScapes, a citizen-science project led by NASA.

He leads the Sounds of Nature Project, based in Illinois, where people have been given devices to record the sounds of nature to monitor biodiversity. The data collected helps protect diversity in nature.

The Eclipse Soundscapes project did the same thing but recorded the sounds of nature, before, during and after the eclipse to gather data about the impact on animal behavior. 

About 100 people involved with Pease’s Illinois-based project were expected to join the national effort. 

“For Soundscape, SIU is increasing data capacity collection by 25 percent,” he said.

Pease was also excited about how the sound project can engage others. The eclipse itself was mostly a visual experience, but by drawing attention to how wildlife sounds change, it could engage individuals who could  not see the moon shade the sun. The National Federation of the Blind supported the sound-based efforts, he said.

This story was distributed through a cooperative project between Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Press Association. For more food and farming news, visit FarmWeekNow.com.

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