Analysis by Doyle Rice

THERE are going to be many confused animals across the United States on Monday. The total solar eclipse will turn daylight into an eerie night-time when the moon covers the sun as the celestial event moves from Oregon to South Carolina.

While humans will gaze at the spectacle in awe, some animals will be downright befuddled for a couple hours as the day slowly darkens – even in places that only get a partial eclipse.

Early reports of strange animal behaviour during eclipses involve birds. Perhaps the earliest is from a total eclipse in 1544 when “birds ceased singing”, while another from a 1560 eclipse claimed “birds fell to the ground”, says Science News.

In one of the first documented scientific studies in 1932, researchers spotted bees returning to hives and chickens to roost during an eclipse in New England.

Orb-weaving spiders in Mexico took down their webs during a total eclipse on July 11, 1991, only to start rebuilding them once the sun reappeared, the National Wildlife Federation reported.

On Monday, most wild animals will likely start their night-time routine as what they perceive as normal twilight begins, said Bruce Stein of the National Wildlife Federation.

Owls may start to call, crickets could start chirping and birds may go to roost.

But much of what is recorded about animal behaviour is anecdotal evidence, making it unclear exactly how certain animals may react.

A study published in the Journal of Fish Biology in 1998 found that daytime fish in reefs near the Galapagos swam to shelter during totality while nocturnal fish were more likely to emerge.

Doug Duncan, an astronomer at the University of Colorado-Boulder, witnessed a herd of llamas appear during a 1994 eclipse in Bolivia before they disappeared once daylight returned.

Mr Duncan, who has experienced 10 total solar eclipses, also said he watched a group of whales and dolphins surface during an eclipse over the Galapagos.

During previous eclipses, elephants in Africa have been spotted heading back toward their sleeping areas, while chimps in a zoo stared at the sky, “baffled by what was going on,” Mr Stein said.

Pets like dogs and cats should be less affected by the eclipse than wildlife, according to Mother Nature Network.

“Totality only lasts a few minutes at most, and an eclipse itself is silent, causing none of the noise that typically scares pets during storms and fireworks,” the network’s science editor Russell McLendon said.

Zoos and aquariums within or near the path of totality in cities such as Nashville, Columbia and Omaha, Nebraska, will study animal behaviour during this eclipse.

The Tennessee Aquarium will study its lemurs, which have been known to behave “oddly” during eclipses. The Nashville Zoo said it is curious to see how its animals will react to a false dusk, night and dawn taking place over the course of a few hours in the middle of the day.

At the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina, animals from baboons and elephants to gorillas and sea lions will be observed.

Animal keepers at the Omaha Zoo and Aquarium – which will see a partial eclipse – will keep watch on the behaviour of giraffes, bats, butterflies and screech owls, among other animals.

Citizen scientists across the country can also observe and record animal behaviour for organisations such as the California Academy of Sciences.

As for flowers and plants there is little information related to what happens to them during a total eclipse, said Douglas Bielenberg, a Clemson University plant physiologist.

“People who have gardens can look for the leaves on the plants to droop, or get in their night positions,” he said. “This will be a great opportunity for people to make and record observations.”

The event will be the first total solar eclipse to cross the North American continent from ocean to ocean since 1918.

The last time the US experienced a solar eclipse was 1979, but it has been 99 years since the celestial event crossed the entire continent.

The 2017 eclipse will also mark the first solar eclipse exclusive to the US since before the nation’s founding in 1776, experts say. Scientists have cautioned that anyone watching the eclipse should wear protective eyewear.

Special eclipse glasses, which block out more than 99.9 per cent of the sun’s light, or a pair of binoculars fitted with a specialised solar filter, have been recommended.

An estimated 12 million people live in the eclipse’s path totality, a 70-mile swath of land between Oregon and South Carolina during which the sun’s disc is completely masked by the Moon and the day slips into night.

Another 18 million people are within a short drive of catching the view while an additional 500 million people will be able to glimpse a partial eclipse from other areas in the US, Canada, Mexico, parts of South America and north-western Europe.

This article first appeared in out sister title USA Today.