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Science Frontiers ONLINE No. 99: May-Jun 1995 |
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Biological precursors of the 1995 kobe earthquake
The Japanese are meticulous observers of animals. Many keep birds, insects, fish, etc. as pets. When scientists at the Osaka City University asked for reports of unusual animal behavior around the time of the great January 17 quake, over 1,200 people in the Kobe-Osaka area came forth with anecdotes. Some typical pre-quake observations were:
- Doves flying into walls. Caged birds (Chinese hawk-cuckoos) flying against the sides of their cages.
- Fish rising to the surface in great numbers. At the port of Shioya, "millions" of gizzard shad turned the surface of the water into silver.
- Captive stag beetles and turtles emerging from hibernation.
- And strangest of all, silkworms and fish in ponds orienting themselves in the same directions.
(Minami, Shigehiko; "Creatures Went a Bit Batty, Maybe Knew Quake Was Coming," Asahi Evening News, February 25, 1995. Cr. N. Masuya)
Cross reference. Many luminous phenomena were also seen. For descriptions of so-called "earthquake lights" refer to GLD8 in our catalog Lightning, Auroras, etc. It is listed here.