INDIANAPOLIS — While most Hoosiers kept their eye on the sky during Monday's total solar eclipse, staff at the Indianapolis Zoo were keeping watch over the behavior of their animals.
As expected, the moment of totality "tricked" the animals into believing it was nighttime.
The zoo noted their macaws, which are normally pretty boisterous, got quiet and roosted high in their enclosure, which they do at night. The zoo's budgies and other birds exhibited the same behavior.
"I'm standing right next to their aviary, and they're totally silent now. Not a peep and no movement," Indianapolis Zoo president and CEO Dr. Robert Shumaker said in a video shared by the zoo.
The cheetahs paced across the highest point of their yard, which they normally do in the evenings, and the zoo's warthogs huddled near the back gate of their space. The flamingos also got quiet and huddled together, thinking night had fallen.
The zoo also posted video of staff and guests reacting to the moment of totality Monday. One visitor commented that the lions began to roar when darkness fell shortly after 3 p.m. ET.
The zoo is also asking for people to report the behavior of their own pets and animals. You can share your observances with Eclipse Soundscapes or Globe Observer.