Disasters

Zoo Animals Predicted Earthquake

Apes climbed tree; lemurs let out alarm call.

No people saw Tuesday’s Virginia earthquake coming, but zoo animals are different: The National Zoo documented strange behavior in several of its animals in the minutes before the earthquake struck. Five to 10 seconds before the quake, many apes ditched their food and began climbing their tree-like structure. Flamingos also seemed to know it was coming, gathering into a group before the shaking began and remaining huddled throughout the quake. Most impressively, red ruffed lemurs let out an alarm call 15 minutes before the quake and then again just before it struck. The Washington Post says we’re still not sure why animals are able to sense these things before humans. Some animals however, seemed caught off guard: According to the zoo, “the black-and-rufous giant elephant shrew hid in his habitat and refused to come out for afternoon feeding.”