Nashville Zoo Giraffes Shine During Solar Eclipse

NASHVILLE, TN — How do you explain an eclipse to giraffe? How do you tell a flamboyance of flamingos the sun is going to disappear, bringing two minutes of nighttime to the middle of the day?

It's impossible, of course (unless you are Dr. Doolittle), to properly prepare animals for the celestial event. All across the Midstate, people noted the early chirping of crickets, bizarre behavior from backyard birds and skinks running in circles, even hours after the totality. The Nashville Zoo wasn't entirely sure how its residents would react, either, and invited the public to observe along with them as day turned to night and night turned back to day.

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Without a doubt, the stars of the show were the giraffes, who went bananas, even leaping over one another, at the midday darkness.

More video is available from WKRN, whose Nikki Burdine spoke to a zoo docent, who said giraffes typically frolic at twilight. Between that natural behavior, the out-of-time darkness and the excitement of the crowd, the giraffes may have just been caught up in the moment.

Meanwhile, the flamingos weren't exactly tickled pink during the totality either:

Image via Nashville Zoo