Dogs, rodents, fish and snakes have been observed reacting to earthquakes, sometimes several days before they occur. Now we can add toads to the list of animals that can ‘predict’ seismic activity.
A British study on toads in Italy shows strong evidence that the amphibians can detect earthquakes days before they happen. According to a report from BBC News, toads that were being studied in L’Aquila, Italy last year produced no spawn during an earthquake period, which begins at the main shock and continues to the last aftershock.
What’s even more remarkable is that the toads fled the earthquake area days before the event – a 6.3-magnitude quake, near L’Aquila city, 95km (60 miles) from Rome – took place.
The findings are documented in a report written for the Journal of Zoology by Open University a life scientist Rachel Grant.
Another cause could be disruptions in the ionosphere, which have been associated with previous earthquakes and occurred at the time of the quake at L’Aquila. Such ionospheric disruptions may have been detected by the toads.
According to an ABC News (Australia) report this is far from a unique event in the animal kingdom, even amongst toads. For example, a Californian geologist cites an instance where thousands of toads were observed hopping through the streets before an earthquake in China. Yet other scientists are unconvinced, claiming that too little is known about the breeding habits of toads.
"Five days before the earthquake, the number of male common toads in the breeding colony fell by 96%.Three days before the earthquake, the number of breeding pairs also suddenly dropped to zero.–BBC News
"There could be several mechanisms for animals to sense the beginnings of an earthquake, wrote Grant in the Journal of Zoology. They could detect seismic waves directly or ground tilt (which can occur in the minutes before a quake). In addition there might be anomalies in the Earth’s magnetic field.
-the Guardian
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