Toad, Earthquake Forecaster?
Researchers suggested Wednesday that toads
may be able to forecast earthquakes,
according to a study in the Zoological
Society of London's Journal of Zoology.
The conclusion was based on the fact that
days before a 6.3-magnitude quake hit
Italian town of L'Aquila, the number of
toads there witnessed a sharp decline.
Scientists from the Open University observed
a sharp drop in the number of bufo bufo, a
common type of toad at a breeding site in
central Italy. A few days later, on April 6,
2009, the earthquake hit the town, causing
death by hundreds.
Rachel Grant, one of the researchers, said
the findings suggested "that toads are able
to detect pre-seismic cues such as the
release of gases and charged particles, and
use these as a form of earthquake early
warning system."
The number of toads at the site fell to zero
three days before the quake, according to
the study.
The relations between unusual animal
behaviors and cataclysmic events have always
been suspected, but evidence recorded is
few.
Roger Musson, a seismologist with the
British Geological Survey said the new study
was "another bit of data in the large pile
that has been accumulating over the years.
But it's not in any shape or form a
breakthrough."
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