Animals behave strangely before earthquakes.

the verdict

INSUFFICIENT LEANING

Recorded sources

8 sources for · 0 against

Counts group repeated records of the same source within each side. They do not measure evidence strength or source independence.

Is it true that animals behave strangely before earthquakes?

Unclear. Several sources report anecdotal or single-case accounts of animals behaving strangely before earthquakes, including a herd of cows descending to a village two days before the 1997 Colfiorito quake. However, the strongest sources (USGS and a Skeptics.SE summary) stress that consistent, reliable pre-seismic behavior and a mechanism remain unestablished, so the evidence only partially covers the claim.

Verdict: PARTIAL LEAN · 8 sources for, 0 against · Last checked 16 Oct 2026

Evidence for · 8

Animals & Earthquake Prediction | U.S. Geological Survey

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Animals & Earthquake Prediction | U.S. Geological Survey. (n.d.). usgs.gov. https://www.usgs.gov/programs/earthquake-hazards/animals-earthquake-prediction

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More for · 7

Can animals detect earthquakes through low radio-frequencies?

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Can animals detect earthquakes through low radio-frequencies?. (n.d.). skeptics.stackexchange.com. https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/717

How the Earth works : 60 fun activities for exploring volcanoes, fossils, earthquakes, and more

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Michelle, O. & Press, C. R. (n.d.). How the Earth works : 60 fun activities for exploring volcanoes, fossils, earthquakes, and more. archive.org. https://archive.org/details/howearthworks6000obri

Cows Come Down from the Mountains before the (Mw = 6.1) Earthquake Colfiorito in September 1997; A Single Case Study

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Cows Come Down from the Mountains before the (Mw = 6.1) Earthquake Colfiorito in September 1997; A Single Case Study. (n.d.). mdpi.com. http://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/4/2/292/pdf

The Lost History of the New Madrid Earthquakes

2013

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Valencius, C. B. (2013). The Lost History of the New Madrid Earthquakes. play.google.com. https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=FZCDAAAAQBAJ&source=gbs_api

Research Methods in Psychology

1994

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Shaughnessy, J. J. & Zechmeister, E. B. (1994). Research Methods in Psychology. books.google.com. http://books.google.com/books?id=vPMPAQAAIAAJ&dq=Animals+behave+strangely+before+earthquakes.&hl=&as_pt=BOOKS&source=gbs_api

encyclopedia-of-occultism-and-parapsychology.-m-z-by-leslie-shepard-z-lib.org

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encyclopedia-of-occultism-and-parapsychology.-m-z-by-leslie-shepard-z-lib.org. (n.d.). archive.org. https://archive.org/details/encyclopedia-of-occultism-and-parapsychology.-m-z-by-leslie-shepard-z-lib.org

environmentalgeologycarlawmontgomery

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environmentalgeologycarlawmontgomery. (n.d.). archive.org. https://archive.org/details/environmentalgeologycarlawmontgomery

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held for human review16 Oct 2026

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