Saturday 3 April 2010

Toads able to detect earthquake days beforehand.

 image Toads may be able to detect imminent earthquakes, according to scientists. The finding will add to the accounts through the centuries where animals, from dogs to rats, snakes and chickens, are said to have behaved strangely before an earthquake.In the study published today in the Journal of Zoology, a colony of toads deserted their mating site three days before an earthquake struck L'Aquila in Italy last year – the epicentre was 74km from the area where the animals had normally gathered. No toads returned to the site until 10 days later, after the last of the significant aftershocks had finished.

Toads able to detect earthquake days beforehand, says study | Science | guardian.co.uk