How will the upcoming solar eclipse affect animals? [Video]

The moon’s shadow sweeps across parts of the U.S., Mexico and Canada on April 8, marking a total eclipse in those regions, and while it’s a cosmic wonder, it’s also a fascinating opportunity for animal behavior researchers. It’s only in recent years that scientists have started to rigorously study the altered behaviors of wild, domestic and zoo animals during a full solar eclipse.

Less than two weeks from now researchers will look for signs of bewilderment in birds, anxiety in apes and confusion in canines.

“To our astonishment, most of the animals did surprising things,” said Adam Hartstone-Rose, a North Carolina State University researcher who led the observations published in the journal Animals.

Questions abound: When a total solar eclipse transforms day into night, will tortoises start acting romantic? Will giraffes gallop? Will apes sing odd notes?

Seven years ago, Galapagos tortoises at the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, South Carolina, “that …