Researchers from Brazil, the USA, and the UK reported this week that wild animals can sense the approaching earthquakes and are able to move much slower. As an early warning system, motion-activated cameras may be useful in monitoring animal movement during high levels of seismic activity. In the scientific journal Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, the researchers explain that most reports of pre-earthquake behaviour changes have been met with suspicion by scientists. They claim the majority of these observations are purely anecdotal and lack any evidence of possible causal mechanisms. The motion-triggered cameras were placed in The Yanachaga-Chemillen National Park (Parque Nacional Yanachaga-Chemillen), located in the Pasco Region in Peru. The US Geological Survey (USGS) states that references to animals acting abnormally before a major earthquake can be traced back to Greece, 373 BC. According to reports, centipedes and snakes fled their homes in search of safety days before the earthquake. Rachel Grant (a lecturer in Animal and Environmental Biology from Anglia Ruskin University, England) led this new study. She was a researcher at Anglia Ruskin University and monitored wild animal activity over a 30-day. The motion-triggered cameras were located at Yanachaga National Park, Peru just before the 2011 magnitude 7.7 Contamana earthquake. The earthquake caused animals to move less. They also found that their activity decreased significantly in the three-weeks preceding the earthquake. This was in comparison with periods when there were low levels of seismic activity. The motion cameras did not pick up any animal movement in five days prior to the Contamana earthquake. This is unusual, according to the authors, for the mountainous rainforest. Professor Grant stated that their study was the first to document scientifically a decrease in animal movement before an earthquake. Professor Grant stated in an interview that animals could serve as reliable earthquake forecasters and can be combined with other monitoring systems. It could be implemented in earthquake-prone and developing countries. The only requirement is that someone monitor the behaviour of animals… satellites are not required. Atmospheric changes before the earthquake. Scientists detected atmospheric fluctuations two weeks prior to the earthquake. This was due to pressure building up on the Earth’s surface. The authors noted that these changes could cause spikes in blood levels of serotonin in humans and animals. Their sensors detected a strong fluctuation of the atmospheric conditions around the epicenter eight days prior to Contamana’s attack. This coincided with an increase in animal activity. Researchers found that all the species of rainforest wildlife felt the effects of the atmospheric change. Rodents were the most sensitive to the seismic movement. The authors think that scientists may be able to gain insight from animals because of their increased sensitivity to the subtle changes occurring in the days before an earthquake. Reuters quotes Friedemann Freund (from the Department of Physics, San Jose State University in California) as co-author. He is also a senior SETI researcher. Friedemann Freund said that animals may help scientists understand what’s happening. Grant, Jean Pierre Raulin, Friedemann T. Freund. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth. Publication online: March 17, 2015.
