Snakes may predict quakes Thu Dec 28, 9:42 AM ET

[Guest guest]

Head-banging snakes may predict quakes

 

http://news./s/nm/20061228/sc_nm/china_snakes_dc

Thu Dec 28, 9:42 AM ET

 

China has come up with an earthquake prediction system which relies on the

behavior of snakes, state media said Thursday, two days after two quakes struck

off neighboring Taiwan.

 

The earthquake bureau in Nanning, capital of the Guangxi autonomous region in

southern China, had developed its system using a combination of natural instinct

and modern technology, the China Daily newspaper said.

 

Experts at the bureau monitor snakes at local snake farms via video cameras

linked to a broadband Internet connection. The video feed runs 24 hours per day.

 

" Of all the creatures on Earth, snakes are perhaps the most sensitive to

earthquakes, " bureau director Jiang Weisong was quoted as saying.

 

Jiang said snakes, a popular restaurant dish in the south in the winter, could

sense an earthquake from 120 km (70 miles) away, three to five days before it

happens. They respond by behaving strangely.

 

" When an earthquake is about to occur, snakes will move out of their nests, even

in the cold of winter, " Jiang was quoted as saying.

 

" If the earthquake is a big one, the snakes will even smash into walls while

trying to escape. "

 

China is struck by frequent earthquakes, with most hitting remote rural areas.

 

Two people were killed and 42 injured Tuesday when three buildings collapsed in

earthquakes that shook southern Taiwan.

 

While a tsunami warning came to nothing, the quake damaged undersea

telecommunication cables, affecting users across Asia