WILDLIFE buffs will join astronomers at next week鈥檚 total solar eclipse in
southern Africa. More than two hundred enthusiasts will gather in Zimbabwe for
one of the world鈥檚 first large-scale studies of how wild animals behave during
an eclipse.
During the few minutes of darkness while the Moon completely blots out the
Sun, the temperature drops dramatically and it becomes eerily quiet. There are
some small studies and plenty of anecdotal evidence to indicate that birds head
back to their nests to roost, goats come down from the mountains, and nocturnal
animals prepare for a night鈥檚 foraging.
Members of Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe, a voluntary organisation made
up mostly of amateur wildlife buffs, will be setting up camp in the Mana Pools
National Park in northern Zimbabwe for two days either side of 21 June.
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The park is directly in the path of the total solar eclipse, which will be
the first of the 21st century. Astronomers predict that the park will be plunged
into darkness for a full three minutes when the Moon passes over the face of the
Sun at 3.18 pm local time. Meteorologists will record temperature, light levels
and wind changes during the eclipse.
Small teams of researchers will track mammals and birds鈥攊ncluding
elephants and lions鈥攖o record their normal behaviour at sunrise, sunset
and mid-afternoon. Teams will record what they find and see every five minutes
for up to two-and-a-half hours at a time. They will compare behaviour during the
eclipse with the animals鈥� activity on days before and after the event.
鈥淲e have anecdotal records dating back to 1200,鈥� says Shirley Cormack,
president of Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe, but there have been very few
large-scale studies. 鈥淲e are following up the anecdotal reports and trying to
give them a statistical backdrop,鈥� she says.
The observers will also be joined by Richard Estes, an expert in African
animals鈥� behaviour and an associate at the Harvard Museum of Natural History in
Boston, and Paul Murdin of Britain鈥檚 Particle Physics and Astronomy Research
Council.
Murdin predicts that insects will be strongly affected, as they are highly
sensitive to temperature. 鈥淥ne feels uneasy during an eclipse,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he
temperature falls, there鈥檚 a chill, insects will suddenly become very quiet. In
terms of human reactions, as well as seeing the spectacle in the sky, there are
many physiological effects. I would expect sensitive animals such as elephants
to notice these things too.鈥�
Estes thinks the mammals most likely to be affected by the sudden nightfall
of the eclipse are bats, bushbabies, hippos, warthogs and baboons.
