Snakes in China 'predict quakes' (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

Scientists in China say they have developed a new way of predicting earthquakes - by observing erratic behaviour in snakes.
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Scientists said the serpents can sense a quake from 120km (75 miles) away, up to five days before it happens.
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"Of all the creatures on the Earth, snakes are perhaps the most sensitive to earthquakes," Jiang Weisong, director of the earthquake bureau in Nanning, told The China Daily.

The reptiles respond by behaving extremely erratically, he said.

"When an earthquake is about to occur, snakes will move out of their nests, even in the cold of winter. If the earthquake is a big one, the snakes will even smash into walls while trying to escape," he told the newspaper.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6215991.stm