Is That Tail Pointing East or West?

People around the world have reported unusual animal behavior prior to earthquakes, tornadoes, and even volcanic eruptions. Although no scientific studies have been conducted to evaluate the veracity of these comments, more and more scientists are taking animal behavior very seriously when it comes to weather prediction.

China has been using animal observation to try and predict earthquakes since 1975, when the entire city of Haicheng was evacuated (and thousands of lives saved) based on interpretation of atypical animal behavior. Many animals become severely agitated before extreme weather conditions, including horses and cows, domestic animals, and even birds. There have been reports of deep-sea fish swimming near the surface of the ocean and bees fleeing the hive in a panic just before an earthquake hits.

It's now being speculated that animals may be picking up on the subtle variations to the earth's electromagnetic field that happen prior to earthquakes and tornadoes. Other studies suggest that animals may be reacting to ultrasound or micro temblors not significant enough to be picked up by humans.

Japan's seismologists are taking the study of animal behavior very seriously. National Geographic News reported in 2003 the story of a Japanese doctor that had studied the behavior of gods prior to earthquakes and established a pattern –About 40 percent of dogs become agitated or overly aggressive, bark or whine uncontrollably, and try to escape outdoors before a tornado or earthquake.

Animals seem to be also somehow accurate predicting more average weather. Birds tend to fly lower to the ground when a storm is approaching, as the falling air pressure can make flying more arduous and may even cause discomfort in their ears. Seagulls stop flying before a storm, choosing to roost on the coast until the rain passes. Animal who hibernate are good predictors of how harsh the coming winter will be –Bears keep eating until very late in the fall and squirrels gather an unusually large amount of food in preparation for a particularly snowy Winter.

Cats lick themselves more on dry weather, allegedly to fight static.

Finally, cows, of all animals, can somehow predict rain. Since cows graze with their tail pointing to the direction of the wind (which makes it easier for them to smell incoming predators), a tail pointing east usually predicts rain. This is, of course, assuming that most east winds announce rain.