We have known for quite some time that
wild animals are able to sense phenomena humans are unable to
understand. Two recent studies have shown that if we could talk to
the animals, Dr. Dolittle style, then maybe they could help us
prepare for storms and weather patterns!
Scientists studying the migratory
behavior of the
golden-winged warbler in
eastern Tennessee saw something unexpected as they reviewed their
data. The birds were being tracked by geolocator throughout their
migration and had arrived at their normal breeding grounds in the
Cumberland mountains of Tennessee. Then, for no logical reason, the
small birds had changed course and flown about 932 miles out of their
way to the Gulf coast and back again a few days later. The
researchers thought that this anomaly was some sort of fluke. Upon
further review of the data, and taking into account other
environmental factors during that time frame, it was evident that the
tiny birds had flown away to avoid tornadoes that would arrive there
two days later. The supercell storms caused 84 tornadoes and killed
35 people as they swept through the southern part of the United
States in April, 2014. The birds had vacated their breeding grounds
when the storms were still hundreds of miles away and before any
noticeable change in air pressure, temperature or wind speed had
occurred in the area. So how did the birds know to leave when all
weather conditions seemed normal? It is most likely that the birds
heard what scientists call "infrasounds". Infrasounds are
those that fall into the range of frequencies below 20 hertz.
Although this is below the human range of hearing, birds and other
animals can hear these sounds. Infrasounds include winds blowing over
mountains, ocean waves hitting shorelines, bombs exploding,
supersonic jets and volcanoes erupting. Birds use these sounds as a
map when they are traveling. Although it has been noted many times
that birds alter their routes due to weather during migration, it has
never been documented that they move away from breeding grounds to
avoid weather like this before. Once the storms had passed the birds
returned. It does beg the question, if we were more in-tune with
nature would we be able to prepare better for unexpected weather?
The next study might prove an
old-wives tale true. A common weather adage is that when cows lie
down it is about to rain. If cows are standing in the pasture it is
thought that there will be clear weather.
Before we had easy access
to weather predictions people had to take cues like these from nature
to know what was to come. Scientists from the
University of Arizona studied cow behavior and weather patterns to
see if this old belief was true. Researchers put pedometers on cows
to measure their activity. The scientists found that in warmer
weather, the cows spent more time standing up. If the weather began
to get colder, as it does when a storm front is approaching, the cows
more often laid down. The belief is that the cows stand to allow for
more air flow around their bodies when it is hot to keep them cool,
and lay down to conserve energy and heat when it is cold. Further
research to include changes in humidity will have to be completed
before we can consider this old belief to be completely true, however, there is
clearly science to what farmers have been observing for
thousands of years!
Animals can tell us so much and as
scientists we are just learning how to understand them. As we uncover
more and more of the mysteries of the natural world and pay more
attention to natural cues we will better understand how to conserve
wildlife and make choices that keep humans safer. Our ancestors were
in-tune with the world around them and in many ways it is something
we have lost. I hope that more studies like this will engage humans
with nature again. For lesson plans and information on animal
communication to engage your kids and students, check out the links
below.
Read more:
Animal Communication Resources
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