CINCINNATI (WKRC) - The crickets started chirping, the birds stopped flying and the giraffes thought it was bedtime.
Some humans couldn't sense as the moon moved between the sun and the earth, but animals at the Cincinnati Zoo knew something was different.
Zoo visitors came with their eclipse glasses, viewers made from cereal boxes and even a two-paper-plate pinhole viewer.
Three generations of a family from Jacksonville, Florida timed their Cincinnati vacation to be at the zoo for the eclipse.
"We wanted to see what will happen with animals. It was timed… zoo, eclipse, Creation Museum for our vacation,” said Kelsie Strauder from Jacksonville, Florida.
What scientists are looking for is called the “masking effect,” a change in stimuli can affect normal behavior of an animals.
"We'll be able to notice a difference… will they think its daytime? Or will they think it's nighttime?" said Curator Amanda Chambers.
To compare behavior, Amanda has been documenting each giraffe's behavior for four months now.
For example, the giraffe named “Kimba” pretty much eats all day, but something happened around 2:20 p.m. on Monday, just nine minutes before the eclipse.
"Since their temperature started dropping, cooler out, a lot more running, headed toward barn behavior… where is Kimba? Headed to barn door,” said Amanda.
Then the crickets started chirping and the flamingos got ready for bed, with leg up and head tucked under wings.
Then it was over. Jacob from Jacksonville was a little disappointed
"I expected it to get totally dark, total eclipse of the sun,” said Jacob.
The family's vacation to-do list was nearly complete with just one more thing: Try some Cincinnati chili, of course.
