CBC (Toronto, Ontario) 28 December 06 China bets on snakes to predict earthquakes
Chinese officials say they have a new system to detect impending earthquakes by following the behaviour of snakes, state media reported on Thursday.
The earthquake bureau in Nanning, capital of the southern Guangxi region, said its system combines old knowledge on the instincts of the reptiles with modern communication technology, the China Daily newspaper reported two days after two earthquakes struck Taiwan.
"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 can sense an earthquake up to 120 kilometres away and three to five days before it happens.
They respond to the impending tremors by moving out of their nests, even in winter, and trying to escape, Jiang said.
Experts at the bureau monitor snakes at local farms via video cameras linked to a broadband connection. The video feed runs 24 hours a day.
China bets on snakes to predict earthquakes