During peak coverage of the solar eclipse, a crowd of Little Rock Zoo visitors turned their faces to a darkened sky while the primates around them snoozed.
About two dozen people walked to the Great Ape area of the Little Rock Zoo to watch Monday's eclipse.
A few zoo educators circled among a crowd of about two dozen people, fielding questions like: "What are the animals going to be doing differently?"
"We don't know," answered zoo educator Stephen Lemp.
Scientists aren't sure how eclipses affect certain creatures, he said. Since this is a partial eclipse, and the sky got dimmer, not dark, there probably won't be much difference, he told one guest.
"Humans are odd in that our instinct is to look at the sun," said educator Katy Holloway, adding that animals don't have that instinct.
"They're probably smarter than we are," joked a nearby zoo guest.
Zoo staffer Laura Fawks said she was excited to look for outlines of the moon on the ground. When light from an eclipse passes through leaves, a crescent pattern often appears beneath the foliage.
"As soon as this happens, I'm looking at the sun, then running to a tree," she said.
While people were looking skyward, several of the chimpanzees and gorillas slept, rustling only to offer an occasional yawn. A few huddled in the shade of their habitats.
Phillip McMath took note of the behavior. He said he's a physical anthropologist who has studied abroad and has observed chimpanzees at the Little Rock Zoo before.
Whether their sleepiness was out of character, McMath couldn't say. What he does know is that the eclipse was "totally incredible."
"I mean it's hauntingly beautiful, you know," he said after watching the sliver of sun peak out from behind the moon. It "reminds you how small and insecure you are."
Other zoo attendees were less than thrilled with the few minutes of hazy dim light.
"Well that was disappointing," said one young eclipse viewer before lowering his cardboard viewer from his eye.
Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full coverage of the eclipse.