The animal kingdom holds many mysteries, especially regarding how some animals seem to sense earthquakes and tsunamis before they happen. Ancient Chinese scholars believed animals could predict disasters, and recent research supports this theory.
In several cases, animals such as goats, sheep, cows, dogs, and even insects have been observed acting unusually before earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. For example, during Mount Etna’s eruptions and earthquakes in Italy, animals exhibited increased activity hours before the events. Goats and sheep even left the slopes of volcanoes to find safer areas.
Kazakh scientists found nocturnal animals, like hedgehogs and owls, become active during the day before an earthquake, and rodents in burrows often flee. A study of 729 reports of animal behavior showed most unusual actions occurred within 24 hours of an earthquake, with 60% happening in the last five minutes.
During the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, wildlife in Yala National Park in Sri Lanka was unharmed, likely due to their ability to sense the approaching disaster. Elephants, known for detecting vibrations, and other animals may have sensed danger through infrasound or ground vibrations.
While no definitive proof exists, animals’ heightened senses—such as detecting subtle environmental changes—might explain their ability to sense natural disasters. Some believe dogs, in particular, might react to seismic sounds or other undetectable signals, offering a potential early warning system for humans.
Skeptics argue that animals may simply respond to the immediate seismic event, but the growing number of reports suggests animals may have a unique ability to sense disasters ahead of time.