Egrets, oxpeckers, ibis, trumpeter hornbill and geese stopped feeding and set off for roosts," he wrote, noting that only some returned to feed after the eclipse. A pod of hippos dispersed into the water during totality, as they do at dusk, but then "showed nervousness for the rest of the afternoon" and took a day to get back to normal.
A sun squirrel stayed in his hole on the eclipse day, Murdin wrote, "apparently having concluded from the eclipse that he had overslept into nightfall." Bees withdrew to their hive in the late stages of the eclipse, he added, then tried reconnaissance: "Two scout bees left the hive after the eclipse and returned later, but whatever they reported, the swarm of bees did not leave the hive again that afternoon."
During a total solar eclipse in July 1991, researchers studied responses of orb-weaving spiders in Mexico. The spiders acted normally until totality, when many took down their webs — only to rebuild them when the sun reappeared.
Crepuscular animals often mistake solar eclipses for twilight, too. Crickets and frogs may jump into a dusk chorus, and mosquitoes and midges may start their evening swarms. And in the midst of a total solar eclipse, it can be dark enough not only to quiet down diurnal animals, but also to lure out the night shift. There are many reports of nocturnal animals being active during totality, including bats and owls.
Reactions vary widely by species, though. Baboons recovered quickly from the 2001 eclipse, Murdin wrote, and he saw little effect on crocodiles, lions or zebras. Solitary male elephants "appeared sanguine about the eclipse," he added, "although two did join up and stand passively side by side for the period of greatest darkness."
Link: https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/how-does-solar-eclipse-affect-animals