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Do Animals Have a Sixth Sense?

Paul the Octopus went eight for eight in picking the outcomes of games in the recent World Cup of soccer. This was certainly a coincidence. However, it opens the door to a question: Do some animals have a sensing ability that we do not understand? A variety of animals seemed to have known that the 2004 tsunami was going to hit Sri Lanka and India well before it became apparent to humans. They evacuated the catastrophe areas before the tsunami hit. 150,000 humans were not so wise. They were killed by it. Were the animals using a sixth sense that we have yet to explain?

http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/blog/dirty-tackle/post/P...

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/01/0104_050104_tsunami...

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by John Jubinsky on July 12, 2010 at 4:18pm

This makes sense. If they sensed the location of the seismic activity they might simply have gone away from it.

Permalink Reply by Jim DePaulo on July 13, 2010 at 5:11pm

A majority of animals, from insects on up, are very sensitive to vibrations, not only amplitude but also frequency. Further, animals take cues from each other - when they see other animals running - they run. Some animals can see changes in color that is outside human visual acuity and notice color changes in the sky or water. Those animals sensitive to magnetic fields would likely detect disturbances from catastrophic events. Strange as animals behaviour may seem - no woo woo is required.

Permalink Reply by John Jubinsky on July 13, 2010 at 5:46pm

Who said anything about woo woo? I am talking about the same type of thing that you are. I strongly suspect that disruptions in the earth's magnetic fields due to the power of the quake was detected by many of the animals and scared them away from the source thus resulting in the animal evacuation prior to the hit. Humans don't have this type of ability....150,000 dead.

Permalink Reply by Jim DePaulo on July 13, 2010 at 7:47pm

@John, I wasn't implying you were talking about woo woo - you certainly were not. I was just expanding on animals sense of preception. Sorry you took it that way.
The woo woo comment was aimed at those clinging to the mystical "6th sense" idea.

Permalink Reply by John Jubinsky on July 14, 2010 at 5:29am

Sorry Jim I misread it.

Permalink Reply by lOS`AMIGOS on July 14, 2010 at 6:33am

More than once ive heard birds ALL suddenly start squawking ,seconds before a earthquake and horses start running around the paddock.

I have been riding a horse up a river bed, when i noticed it was acting up strangley,and kept trying to move up away out of the river bed.And as i could see something was very strange, i followed through with the horses decision ....Only to soon hear a growing roar! as a flash flood swiftly approached us .Had i persisted with keeping the horse down in the river bed,its likely we would have been both swept away.