Canadian zoo examined animal behaviour during total solar eclipse [Video]

As darkness settled during last week’s total solar eclipse, Japanese macaques turned their backs to the sun and red crowned cranes went uncharacteristically quiet.

But the Himalayan black bears just slept as if nothing was happening.

A Canadian zoo in Quebec took advantage of last Monday’s total solar eclipse to study the behaviours of some of its animals. The zoo’s research and conservation department was approached by an astrophysics professor from the Université du Québec à Montréal about taking part in an animal behaviour study and collecting data on how they reacted during the rare phenomenon.

Granby Zoo is located in the province’s Estrie region, which had among the best views of rare total solar eclipse in southern Quebec. While humans were enthralled, few studies have been carried out on animal reactions during the rare event.

Chelsey Paquette, conservation coordinator at Granby Zoo, about 65 kilometres east of Montreal, said the zoo jumped at the chance to be …