GabyResearchers from the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior (Germany) are registering thousands of dogs, goats, and other animals on farms, as well as numerous wild animals, for a global study in which their movements are tracked from space. In this way, scientists are involving representatives of the fauna to predict earthquakes and eruptions. volcanoes and other natural phenomena.
The team attaches tiny transmitters to mammals, birds, and insects. Then, the detailed movements of these creatures are tracked by special satellites, writes The Guardian .
Why is this necessary?
According to researchers, the goal is not only to study animals’ reactions to impending natural phenomena but also to gain new insights about animal migration the spread of diseases among them and the impact of the climate crisis on them. Next year, the network of satellites monitoring animals will expand.
“We hope to launch a fleet of approximately six satellites and create a global observation network that will not only provide detailed information about the movements of wildlife and their health across the globe.” planet “and will also show how creatures react to natural phenomena such as earthquakes,” explained project leader Martin Wikelski, founder of the International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space (Icarus). Scientists from around the world are involved in the work of this scientific community.
The activity of Icarus became possible thanks to a revolution in tagging technology. Tiny digital transmitters powered by small lithium batteries and miniature GPS devices enabled the creation of a vast number of tags that weigh only a few grams.
What did the first experiments show?
Initial experiments regarding the prophetic abilities of animals have already taken place in Sicily – on the slopes of Mount Etna, Mr. Wikelski reported. According to him, the team found that the behavior of goats quite accurately indicates impending major volcanic eruptions.
Sensors recorded how the animals became anxious before the eruption and refused to move to higher pastures that they usually visited with pleasure. “They know in advance what is going to happen. It’s unknown how they do it,” said the head of the research.
Scientists also observed dogs, sheep, and other farm animals in the Abruzzo mountains outside of Rome. The team reported that goats predicted seven out of eight major earthquakes in the region over the past 12 years.
How can I explain this?
According to scientists, animals may respond to ions released by rocks during preparations for eruptions.
“During the preparation for an earthquake, tectonic plates slide past each other under immense pressure, causing ions from the rocks to be released into the air. Animals may react to this,” noted Mr. Vikelsky.
Understanding how representatives of fauna respond to geological changes is just one area of interest for this program. As part of the research, scientists can also observe the health of wild animals from space.
For example, researchers attached electronic tags equipped with tiny 30-gram accelerometers to the ears of wild boars. By observing changes in the behavior of these animals, the team realized that they were developing African swine fever. This highly contagious virus is rapidly spreading among wild boars and domestic pigs. Therefore, understanding that an outbreak of the disease is occurring in the wild is crucial for containing its spread to farm animals.
The technology will also help scientists uncover the mechanisms that govern migrations. Researchers have placed sensors on small insects like the “death’s-head” hawkmoth. Soon, scientists will be able to reveal the mysteries underlying the annual migrations of these insects between Europe and Africa.
“In a similar way, we will be able to study how animal populations respond to changes in the environment caused by” global warming “, ” noted Martin Wikelski.
By the way, stories about animals behaving strangely before earthquakes or eruptions are not new. The Greek historian Thucydides claimed that rats, dogs, snakes, and weasels left the city of Helice just before the earthquake that occurred in 373 BC. And the earthquake in the Haiqing County (China) happened in 1975 after snakes and rats had mass exited their burrows.
