SAN FRANCISCO — Animals are going to act weird when a total solar eclipse passes over the United States later this month.
Scientists say when the moon starts to move between the sun and the earth, we could see hoofed animals lying down, and hear songbirds fall silent, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Eclipse chasers report seeing dolphins and whales swim to the surface of the ocean five minutes before an eclipse. Meanwhile, others talk of llamas gathering in line to gaze at the sky, or of spiders dismantling their webs.
According to scientists, an eclipse can disrupt animals' circadian clocks, convincing some it's time to go to bed, or prompting nocturnal creatures to come out and hunt.
Researchers at the California Academy of Sciences are asking citizens to take part in an experiment by reporting animal behavior during the Great American Eclipse on August 21.
They want to know what all kinds of animals get up to, including domesticated ones.
For more info, check out the iNaturalist app on the App Store or Google Play, or go to www.inaturalist.org.
