Tens of millions of sky-gazers are expected to watch the total solar eclipse above North America on April 8. Cheers, shrieks, and cries will welcome totality—the few fleeting minutes when day turns to haunting dusk. But humans won’t be the only species affected.
The early onset of darkness disrupts animals’ circadian rhythms, sparking a possible chorus of owl hoots, cricket chirps, or even coyote calls, depending on the eclipse-viewing location. For centuries, biologists and spectators have shared stories about how animals respond to eclipses, yet few formal studies have tested this. NASA hopes to change that this year—and you could help.
Through the citizen-science project Eclipse Soundscapes, NASA is studying how these interstellar marvels impact the animal kingdom. Eclipse enthusiasts have a host of ways to participate: recording data, analyzing audio, or submitting their own multisensory observations, says Henry Trae Winter III, co-lead on the Eclipse Soundscapes project and chief scientist and co-founder of the ARISA Lab.
The project, inspired by a similar citizen-science study from the 1932 eclipse over New England, centers on how crickets respond to the event’s false dusk. These insects, which are largely dispersed across the U.S.’s path of totality from Texas to Maine, provide an ideal opportunity for widespread comparison. “If there’s something different in the south than the north, we can pull out why,” says Winter, noting they can analyze everything from temperature differences to eclipse duration (which will begin approximately 1:45 p.m. to about 4:30 p.m. EST) to analyze varying reactions. This intel could help scientists model how future weather events like storms could impact animals.
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While Eclipse Soundscapes focuses on crickets, which Winter says eclipse-chasers could hear any place that’s above 55 degrees Fahrenheit on eclipse day, the team’s massive data set—expected to be among the largest soundscapes recordings in history—will be free and open to the public.
To partake as an Eclipse Soundscapes observer, Winter suggests avoiding large-scale eclipse gatherings where crowd chatter will drown out critter sounds. Instead, eavesdrop on the animal kingdom via wild and more remote natural spaces—such as these five wildlife-packed getaways along April 8’s path of totality.
Ouachita National Forest, ArkansasArkansas’ stretch of the 1.8-million-acre Ouachita National Forest, a mosaic of streams, peaks, rivers, and dense pine forests, brims with wildlife, including many species that could audibly respond to the area’s four minutes of totality. Listen for the barred owl, known for its “who cooks for you” call, or the long-eared owl, which often communicates via low hoots. Crickets will likely also join the eclipse symphony, as could the forest’s numerous bands of coyotes.
A tree frog rests on tupelo tree located in Cache River National Wildlife Refuge, Arkansas.
Photograph By Joel Sartore, Nat Geo Image Collection
Cache River State Natural Area, IllinoisThis swampy, 18,000-acre getaway in southern Illinois is known for its frogs, which experts say could get particularly noisy on eclipse day. Listen for bird-voiced tree frogs, southern leopard frogs, and bullfrogs, or watch for foxes and opossums, which could make unusual midday appearances. Travelers may enjoy these sounds throughout the park, but for a particularly unique totality seat, join Cache Bayou Outfitters’ solar-eclipse kayak trip.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, OhioCuyahoga Valley National Park’s thick oak, hickory, and beech forests will see roughly 3.5 minutes of totality on April 8. These dusky skies could kick off a harmony of animal calls, from frogs and toads, which reappear here in the early spring months, to the barn, barred, or great horned owls. For a multisensory perch, hit the Beaver Marsh, a former trash heap turned biodiverse wetland habitat with numerous frogs, turtles, birds, and its namesake and nocturnal beavers—which scientists say could skitter out from their daytime abodes as the skies dim.
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Sky-gazers can catch the April 8 eclipse from New York State’s 14,000-acre Letchworth State Park, which has 66 miles of hiking trails around a river gorge.
Photograph By Christian Heeb/laif/Redux
Letchworth State Park, New YorkBirds are among the most boisterous animals during solar eclipses. The darkness may stimulate their urge to roost, increase their activity levels, or alter their song patterns. Watch and listen to the avian eclipse responses from one of New York State’s best birding locales, Letchworth State Park, which will experience around three minutes of totality. This patchwork of soaring cliffs, maples and beeches, and thunderous waterfalls, known as the “Grand Canyon of the East,” is a state Bird Conservation Area, as well as an Audubon Important Bird Area. It’s home to dozens of avian species, including turkey vultures and great horned owls, as well as beavers and river otters, which may emerge during totality near the Genesee riverbanks.
Congress Avenue Bridge, AustinFor a unique eclipse-response experiment, head to Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin. From spring to late fall, this concrete link over Lady Bird Lake is home to an estimated 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats—the largest urban bat population in North America. Experts say the area’s nearly two minutes of totality’s darkness could see throngs of the winged mammals swooping out to the east for their feasts.
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Stephanie Vermillion is a travel and outdoors journalist, filmmaker, and photographer. Follow her adventures on X and Instagram.
Source : National Geographic