Earthquakes are horrendous natural disasters. Recently, Turkiye and other countries near Turkiye were hit by an earthquake that left thousands people in agony as they lost their homes and loved ones.
There are a few videos going around on social media capturing that animals were behaving strangely before the earthquake happened. For instance, groups of birds were seen flapping their wings vigorously. Aside from that, a dog was howling non-stop.
Birds use Earth's magnetic field for navigation and location awareness. Disturbed behavior was observed in birds just before the massive earthquake in #Turkey and #Syria.#earthquake #diyarbakır #Turkey #deprem #İstanbul #HelpTurkey #Turkiye #Gaziantep #Syria #TurkeyEarthquake pic.twitter.com/ipoPBkLOym
— Gaurav kochar (@gaurav_kochar) February 7, 2023
So, is it true that animals can detect the early signs of earthquakes? Or was it all a coincidence?
Well, it may be true. There is scientific research on it. According to scientists, animals can sense tiny foreshocks travelling through the Earth seconds before a more powerful earthquake hits. Some researchers say that animals might even sense earthquakes before the foreshocks.
“We have a very good indication that animals really feel the precursors of earthquakes,” says Martin Wikelski. He is a director at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior.
The scientists also add that they are indications that animals can tell humans things. Nevertheless, it is still not known how they do it. Wikelski believes that their ability to sense danger may be related to their ability to communicate with each other.
Source: The Washington Post
