An elephant trumpets wildly, breaks a chain holding it to a tree, and flees to higher ground — just before a massive tsunami crashes ashore, drowning hundreds of thousands of people.
Did the elephant know the deadly wave was coming?
That’s the question explored by NATURE’s Can Animals Predict Disaster?
In interviews with scientists and eyewitnesses, NATURE probes the evidence that some animals may have senses that allow them to predict impending natural disasters long before we can.
Some creatures, for instance, may be able to “hear” infrasound, — sounds produced by natural phenomena, including earthquakes, volcanoes, and storms, that are inaudible to the human ear. This ability may give elephants and other animals enough time to react and flee to safety.
Another explanation may lie in animals’ sensitivities to electromagnetic field variations. Quantum geophysicist Motoji Ikeya has found that certain animals react to changes in electrical currents. He now regularly monitors a catfish, the most sensitive of the creatures he has tested, to aid him in warning others of coming disaster.
Follow NATURE as it reexamines ancient ideas about how animals can predict disaster which are now gaining credence in scientific circles.
To order a copy of Can Animals Predict Disaster?, visit the NATURE Shop.
Online content for Can Animals Predict Disaster? was originally posted November 2005.





This was dreadful. The science, for lack of a better term, was prosaic and irrelevant. No body of scientists dismiss animal perception as superior to the sensory perceptions of those in the other classes of animals.
What these “researchers” have demonstrated is animals can detect just those stimuli that scientists can track with electronic equipment.
The show ignored the question “are animal observations superior or more accurate than scientific equipment”.
The ONLY item where actual science was used was in tracking the elephant during the tsunami where the elephant was clearly oblivious to the entire event.
There was also no objective examination of the lack of animal corpses.
Will there be a follow-up done by skeptical “evidence-based” scientists?
I was completely appalled at the elephant that was shown wearing 3 feet of chain around his/her feet. This should be investigated as animal cruelty. Please tell me you didnt just film this and walk away allowing the horrific condition obviously shown in your show.
how animals can predict earthquake
At a resonant frequency of 18 to 19 hertz human vision is interrupted.
thise is cool!!!!!!!!
thats so cool that something could be so smart
[ eye really think that thats c00l i never knew that a animal could be so smart it's like if their smarter than me or any person!!!]
i think this freakin stuff is kool
yOo How ya Dead SeriOus Believe Thiss ?? WOW !!! ya Beinqq Lied oO2
this is coOl
hd
[this is really really cool and cats rock!!!!!]
cdewfre
xsdgb
i think this is good question that it was answer
THESE TYPES OF THINGS ARE COOL….. I DONT KNOW IF PEOLE HAVE SEEN THE VIDEO OF THE DOG PREDICTING THE CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE BUT ITS SOME SCARY STUFF. ANIMALS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SMATER THAN PEOPLE. THATS WHAT I THINK… THEIRS ALOT OF TYPES OF ANIMALS THAT CAN PREDICT DIFFERENT DISASTERS THAT HAPPEN. LIKE THE DOG FOR EXAMPLE HE HAD SMELLED THE EARTHQUAKE COMEING.
this shows how humans have lost dominion through sin and depravity, the times are bad and our only hope of escape and survival is knowing the bible. only jesus saves otherwise doomed
I’m sure insects (ant, termite…), animals are smarter than human beings, they know few days in advance before it will rain, natural disaster like earthquake, tsunami and so on (2004 elepant in Thailand knew 1hr before tsunami came and run up to the hill, 10s of whales died on shore in New Zealand 1 day before earthquake, and few days before 9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in Japan (from resonant vibration?…), in meanwhile human scientists know nothing (but do know after…). We need to learn more from insects and animals
This is great for my research project. The greek city of helice was swallowed yet rats, snakes, and weasels left their burrows a greek historian recorded.
I would love to see a list of natural disaster events correlated by animal and type of displayed behaviour with the lead time to said event and said displayed behaviour. This would be the beginning of “Real” science.
Furthermore, after an indisputable body of observations have been collected, an exploration into the mechanisms of such sensory perceptions needs to be investigated in order to apply these scientific findings in a useful way towards developing better disaster early-warning systems, since it is not practical for everyone to keep herds of elephants and whales, as well as flocks of birds and tanks of catfish on hand.
As for the comments regarding animals being “smart” based on the inferred premise that heightened sensory perception = higher intelligence, you have most definitely proved at the very least that animals appear to be smarter than some humans; particularly those who post on Nature articles.
Guys, fact is these are just excellent gifts these other animals have which we humans can use for our good. its not right to make it look like these animals are more intelligent than humans coz thats generally not true. i think these gifted animals should just be trained to make alarm incase they sense danger. thats it, thanks.
HOW can everyone of you say that ANIMALS are smarter and more intelligent than HUMANS ?? I like to see a DOG comment here or a MONKEY build a SPACECRAFT!!! OR MABY…… LIONS building a ZOO to hold HUMANS!!!!!! They ate NOT(!!!!!!!!!!!) smarter than humans but SOME(!!!!!!!) definitely have better developed senses. THAT DOES NOT MAKE THEN SMARTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yes i do belive in this stuff . look at all the facts
Can animals predict earthquakes before they happen?…
The red ruffed lemur sounded an alarm 15 minutes ahead of the recent Washington DC earthquake and again immediately after the shaking stopped, according to officials at the National Zoo; flamingos huddled, an orangutan “belch vocalized” about 10 seco…
any body now
I got an email “from you” wanting my updates just wondering if it was really from you. Thank you for your time. Martha
hi yall
hi alssya
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We all know that Alakazam is smarter than any of us. . . Its IQ is over 9000!hahahahahahahah but seriously, Goku totally would beat up Piccolo, he should NOT die. Bluma should get her wish. SHe makes me feel funny. Down there.