How some animals can predict the weather

Arab Weather - Anecdotal evidence indicates that animals can - to some extent - predict the weather, as farmers and animal keepers sometimes infer the changing weather conditions through the way their animals behave, as some farmers know that a cold is coming days before due to the different behavior of livestock, So that they eat much more feed than usual, to gain extra weight that helps them keep their bodies warm before the temperatures drop, but how can animals predict the weather well in advance? What are the signs that animals infer from changing weather conditions?

What do animals see to know that the weather is changing?

What we do know is that animals react to environmental signals that appear when the weather changes, for example, extreme weather events such as tornadoes cause a significant drop in air and water pressure, and many animals can sense these changes quickly, often acting strangely or fleeing. Or hide in search of safety, but how do animals feel these changes?

How do animals predict the weather?

It is known that animals exhibit unusual behavior before a storm, this may be due to their strong senses of smell and hearing, as well as sensitive instincts, and here are some indications that animals infer from the change of weather:

1. Predict the weather by sensing the change in atmospheric pressure

Dogs feel the change in atmospheric pressure that comes with storms, causing them to bark, bandage or go into hiding in an attempt to find shelter.

The researchers observed this type of behavioral change among a group of sharks as they tracked the movements of these animals during extreme weather events, such as during Tropical Storm Gabriel that occurred in 2007, after the atmospheric pressure decreased only a few millibars, and with it the hydrostatic water pressure decreased ( hydrostatic pressure ), several sharks swam into deep waters, to protect themselves from the storm.

The researchers also note that birds and bees are also able to sense this decrease in atmospheric pressure, and birds instinctively begin to search for cover for their nests, and bees for their cells, and birds also use this sense of air pressure to determine a safe time to migrate .

Even humans can have reactions to these changes in atmospheric pressure, as some say that they can predict the storm due to the headaches they suffer from the day before the arrival of the storm, and this headache may be caused by a decrease in the atmospheric pressure, which creates a difference between the pressure in the air External and air in the sinuses, which leads to the feeling of pain.

2. Predicting the temperature

The relationship of the cricket's sound to temperature is perhaps the most wonderful example of how the animal kingdom is in harmony with environmental changes, as this relationship is known as the "Dolbear" law, named after the American physicist ( Amos Dolbear ), and the relationship with an equation that relates temperature to the number of times In which this insect makes a sound.

The relationship between temperature and sound results from a rise in the metabolism of the cold-blooded night cricket, which occurs when the temperature rises, as a higher metabolism provides more energy for the muscle contractions that produce the sound, and you can use Dolbear's law to calculate the air temperature by counting the number The beeps that the cockroach emits in 15 seconds and adding 37, the total will roughly equal the current temperature in Fahrenheit .

3. Humidity sensor

Animal hair or lint is considered a material sensitive to air humidity, horse hair was used in a humidity measuring device before the advent of modern electronic humidity meters based on sensors, and the device that contains horse hair consisted of horse hair connected to two holders, so that the hair expanded and contracted As the humidity changes , then the change in length is taken as a measure of relative humidity.

(A device for measuring humidity in the air based on horse hair)

4. The sun's rays

The groundhog is one of the most famous examples among animals that predict the weather, based on an ancient myth that immigrants brought to Pennsylvania in the mid-nineteenth century, as one of the groundhog species (Punxsutawney Phil) is relied upon to determine the next weather, where the rat comes out On a specific day every year in February, if he saw his shadow means that there is an early arrival of spring weather, but if he did not see his shadow he returns to his burrow because this means that there are six more weeks of winter weather, and perhaps this behavior is not completely accurate because the presence of clouds may He confuses the inventory and thinks this is his shadow.

5. Knowing the direction of the wind

It is said that the weather will be normal if a cow with its tail stands to the west, and if the cow is grazing with its tail to the east, then the weather is likely to change, and there is a bit of truth here, where the animals graze with their tails downwind so that if a predator infiltrates behind them, the wind will help keep them away. It smells of prey and protects it from any attack, however a cow's prediction may be wrong during a hurricane.

Some examples of animal behavior to predict rain and severe winter cold

There are many signs that may appear on animals and indicate the arrival of rain, including:

• When cats sneeze, this is a sign of rain.

• When the cattle are lying in the meadows, this indicates an early rains.
• When horses and cattle stretch out their necks and smell the air, this indicates that it will rain.
• Woolly bear larvae are said to predict winter weather, the more brown their bodies are, the milder winters will be.

• If the mole digs a hole 2 and a half feet deep, expect severe weather. The divergence is less severe when the hole is two feet deep, and if it is one foot deep, the winters are mild.
• When rabbits are fleshy in October and November, expect long, cold winters.
• If sheep go up the hills and disperse, expect clear weather.
• Bats that fly in the late evening indicate mild weather.
• Wolves always howl more before a storm.