I have never been someone who cared about my astrological sign or has been in touch with my inner “Zen”. However, throughout my life, a full moon has always acted in strange ways around my family. Last weekend, myself and the rest of the halftime crew took a stroll down to the water at White Oak Pond. We gazed up into the sky as the full moon reflected off the mirror like water. There was no wind, everything felt peaceful, and the loons were singing back and forth to each other. As relaxing as this full moon was, I remember my mom always felt negative emotions, lack of sleep, and an increase in stress. She has been preaching this since I was a young kid. I couldn’t relate but I began thinking about the moon’s great powers and how it works in a number of ways.
We all know the moon raises and lowers tides on earth through the gravitational pull from the sun and moon. Theories also suggest that it has psychological properties that affect sleep quality, mental illness, and found increases in crime rates. Some other studies have contradicted these claims, but one thing is for sure, humans aren’t the only species that feel a change when the moon waxes or wanes. Many studies suggest that animal behaviors adapt to the lunar cycle, depending on the size of the moon. One study from Princeton found that lions of the Serengeti in Tanzania stalk and hunt their prey more effectively during a new moon. Their incredible nighttime sight helps them find common wildebeests (Connochaetes taurinus), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), and plains zebras (Equus quagga). While this research was conducted using camera traps, they even found different lunar behaviors within the prey. Making up a third of a lion’s diet, the wildebeest was most in tune with the lunar cycle. They would sit in safe places during the darkest parts of the month and would venture into riskier areas when the nights got brighter. The buffalo might not be as ‘bright’ as the wildebeest because they’d just travel where the food goes. Zebras had an increase in risky behavior during brighter nights too, but this could be due to their unpredictable nature.
We humans might not be so different to these animals because, like the buffalo; I definitely just travel where the food goes. Others will be more unpredictable or risky as the waxing moon grows full (it might explain the increase in crime rates). Either way, this bright white light in the sky conducts many ecosystem level impacts or it might be why you’re having a bad night’s sleep. For that, I will always find it fascinating.
Steven is a Half Time member of the LRCC serving at the Squam Lakes Association. He graduated from Westfield State University with a degree in Environmental Science, and minors in ecological restoration and GIS. You can read more about Steven here!