For the first time since 1918, parts of the United States will experience a total solar eclipse on Aug. 21. While humans will be able to view the rare phenomena with some perspective, how will pets react?
Brian Jackson is an assistant professor in the Department of Physics at Boise State University says he gets questions about how family pets might act that day.
"Humans, who are told about the eclipse, will know that this is just an amazing, short-lived phenomenon," Jackson said. "But animals, they often think that it's night ... it has been reported during eclipses that birds will fly back to the nest, cows will head back to the barn, dogs will bed down. They think it's night because it looks just like night to them."
Jackson says some animals may even be a little disoriented, wondering why nighttime didn't last longer.
Jackson says not to worry, though. There have been no proven long-term effects from a solar eclipse on humans or animals.
