These animals can sense natural disasters before humans
Over the years, experts have recorded countless examples of animals behaving oddly before natural disasters strike. The US Geological Survey also notes that anecdotal evidence abounds of animals, fish, birds, reptiles, and insects exhibiting strange behaviour anywhere from weeks to seconds before an earthquake.
From dogs barking uncontrollably to birds flying off in unusual patterns, animals seem to pick up on subtle environmental changes that humans often miss. Here are some animals that seem to have a 'sixth sense'.
Elephants are known to pick up very low-frequency vibrations through their feet. Some researchers believe they can feel the Earth shifting beneath them.
This might explain why herds have been seen moving to higher ground hours before a tsunami hits. One such incident happened in India's Bhuj, when eyewitness accounts stated that animals had been fleeing for higher ground and that dogs apparently refused to go outdoors, according to the BBC.
Pet owners often report their dogs acting restless, barking, or hiding before earthquakes or heavy storms. With their sharp hearing and ability to sense atmospheric changes, dogs might pick up on the first hints of danger.
Cats have incredibly sensitive ears and whiskers. In places where earthquakes are common, people have noticed their cats behaving erratically—hiding, meowing, or pacing just before tremors begin.
Birds tend to react to changes in air pressure and wind patterns. Before major storms or hurricanes, some species are known to suddenly flee or change their flight direction, even if the skies still look calm.
In one unusual case in L'Aquila, Italy, toads disappeared from their breeding grounds days before a 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit the area. Some scientists think toads are sensitive to shifts in groundwater chemistry that happen before the ground shakes.
On the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily, goats have been observed acting anxious and restless before volcanic eruptions. Their movements are now being studied as part of a system to predict eruptions.
Although the idea of animals predicting disasters is still being studied, there's growing interest in using animal behaviour as an early warning system.
Projects like ICARUS, short for International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space, run by scientists around the world, are using GPS collars and tracking devices to see if animal movement patterns can help forecast natural events in the future.
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These animals can sense natural disasters before humans
Many of us have heard stories of animals acting strangely just before an earthquake or a storm. While this may sound like myth or folklore, science is slowly catching up and discovering that there might be some truth to it. Over the years, experts have recorded countless examples of animals behaving oddly before natural disasters strike. The US Geological Survey also notes that anecdotal evidence abounds of animals, fish, birds, reptiles, and insects exhibiting strange behaviour anywhere from weeks to seconds before an earthquake. From dogs barking uncontrollably to birds flying off in unusual patterns, animals seem to pick up on subtle environmental changes that humans often miss. Here are some animals that seem to have a 'sixth sense'. Elephants are known to pick up very low-frequency vibrations through their feet. Some researchers believe they can feel the Earth shifting beneath them. This might explain why herds have been seen moving to higher ground hours before a tsunami hits. One such incident happened in India's Bhuj, when eyewitness accounts stated that animals had been fleeing for higher ground and that dogs apparently refused to go outdoors, according to the BBC. Pet owners often report their dogs acting restless, barking, or hiding before earthquakes or heavy storms. With their sharp hearing and ability to sense atmospheric changes, dogs might pick up on the first hints of danger. Cats have incredibly sensitive ears and whiskers. In places where earthquakes are common, people have noticed their cats behaving erratically—hiding, meowing, or pacing just before tremors begin. Birds tend to react to changes in air pressure and wind patterns. Before major storms or hurricanes, some species are known to suddenly flee or change their flight direction, even if the skies still look calm. In one unusual case in L'Aquila, Italy, toads disappeared from their breeding grounds days before a 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit the area. Some scientists think toads are sensitive to shifts in groundwater chemistry that happen before the ground shakes. On the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily, goats have been observed acting anxious and restless before volcanic eruptions. Their movements are now being studied as part of a system to predict eruptions. Although the idea of animals predicting disasters is still being studied, there's growing interest in using animal behaviour as an early warning system. Projects like ICARUS, short for International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space, run by scientists around the world, are using GPS collars and tracking devices to see if animal movement patterns can help forecast natural events in the future.
