BEIJING—China has come up with an earthquake prediction
system which relies on the behavior of snakes, state media said Thursday, two
days after two quakes struck off neighboring Taiwan.
The earthquake bureau in Nanning, capital of the Guangxi
autonomous region in southern China, had developed its system using a
combination of natural instinct and modern technology, the China Daily newspaper
said.
Experts at the bureau monitor snakes at local snake farms via
video cameras linked to a broadband Internet connection. The video feed runs 24
hours per day.
"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, a popular restaurant dish in the south in
the winter, could sense an earthquake from 120 km (70 miles) away, three to five
days before it happens. They respond by behaving strangely.
"When an earthquake is about to occur, snakes will move out
of their nests, even in the cold of winter," Jiang was quoted as saying.
"If the earthquake is a big one, the snakes will even smash
into walls while trying to escape."
China is struck by frequent earthquakes, with most hitting
remote rural areas.
Two people were killed and 42 injured Tuesday when three
buildings collapsed in earthquakes that shook southern Taiwan.
While a tsunami warning came to nothing, the quake damaged undersea
telecommunication cables, affecting users across Asia.
