Dogs have been used to alert humans to blood sugar changes, imminent seizures, and some cancers but can they sense in advance when an earthquake is about to happen? While it has not been scientifically proven, some people believe that dogs and other animals can, indeed, predict earthquakes.
Restless Animal Behavior Reported Before Earthquakes
For centuries, people have reported seeing a restless behavior in animals before earthquakes.
With Japan being one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, scientists there have searched for ways to predict earthquakes, including studies with animals. In 2003, Dr. Kiyoshi Shimamura documented increased dog bites and reports of barking prior to earthquakes. In China as well, restless and unusual animal behavior has been used as a factor in trying to predict earthquakes.
Jim Berkland, a geologist who studied at the University of California at Davis and worked as the first County Geologist for Santa Clara County in northern California for 21 years, claims on his website to have a 75% success rate in predicting earthquakes with a formula that includes calculations of lunar-tide cycles and the number of lost pet ads in the newspaper. He has noted that the number of missing dogs and cats rises up to two weeks before an earthquake. Perhaps his greatest success was the prediction of the World Series earthquake four days before it occurred in 1989.
How Could Dogs Know an Earthquake is About to Happen?
If dogs and other animals do, indeed, know when an earthquake is about to occur, it is not likely due to some sixth sense, as some believe. More likely it would be due to a greater sensitivity of the normal senses.
Animal behaviorists and other experts have presented several theories. Speculation that dogs may hear high-pitched sounds coming from the shifting rocks and other seismic activity within the earth, catch the scent of gases released from the earth, detect changes in electromagnetic fields, or sense weak vibrations preceding a quake, has been considered.
Dr. Stanley Coren believes dogs rely on their sense of hearing to know when an earthquake is going to happen. Dr. Coren, psychologist, dog trainer, and prolific author, conducted a study at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada on 193 dogs, 14 of them hearing impaired. Half of the dogs showed anxiety and restlessness the day before a quake rattled Vancouver. Only one of the hearing-impaired dogs showed restless behavior but this was contributed to the fact that this dog was with a hearing dog and was reacting to that dog’s anxiety.
Dr. Coren also noted that the dogs with heavy, floppy ears did not show as much anxiety as the dogs with perked ears, suggesting that hearing was obstructed by the floppy ears.
No Scientific Proof Animals Predict Earthquakes
Although studies such as Dr. Coren’s certainly indicate that dogs can pick up on sounds from within the earth that humans can not hear, the evidence is far from conclusive. Animals often react in the same way to other things. It has also been noted that animals do not consistently react to all earthquakes.
While anecdotal reports may suggest a certain ability of animals to predict earthquakes, individual interpretation of animal behavior will vary and has not been used reliably as a warning system. Certainly, better earthquake preparation or evacuation could have saved lives when the 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck Japan on March 11, 2011, but scientists have not been able to accurately predict when earthquakes will occur.
Sources:
- Guardian.co.uk, Can dogs really predict earthquakes? by Alok Jha, Accessed 4/2/11
- Syzygyjob.com, Jim Berkland biography, Accessed 4/2/11
- PetCentric.com, How Can a Dog or Cat Know an Earthquake is Pending? Accessed 4/2/11
Joy Butler - Writer, retired lab tech, mom, and animal lover with over 20 years' experience rescuing, kenneling, training and showing dogs.
Join the Conversation