Video Metni

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  Animal Forecasters.
  

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  Do you think animals can predict the weather or other natural events?
  

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  Farmers living in the countryside think so.
  

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  For hundreds of years, they have observed animals and noticed many things about the way animals act.
  

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  For example, some farmers believe that if they see swans flying into the wind, a hurricane is coming...
  

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  ...or when cows lie down, a rainstorm is coming.
  

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  There are many traditional stories connecting animals and natural events.
  

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  Some scientists are taking another look at animals to see if there is any truth behind these stories and beliefs.
  

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  They have found some surprising things.
  

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  Kiyoshi Shimamura is a Japanese earthquake researcher.
  

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  He noticed an increase in dog bites a short time before earthquakes hit.
  

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  Then, he did an investigation of twelve public health centers in Kobe, Japan.
  

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  These health centers treated people after a big earthquake.
  

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  Shimamura noticed that the month before the big earthquake,...
  

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  ...treatment for animal bites had increased.
  

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  In fact, aggressive behavior in dogs, such as biting and barking loudly, jumped 60 percent!
  

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  Other animals change their behavior before an earthquake as well.
  

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  For example, fish in ponds or lakes begin swimming together in large groups only in the middle of the water...
  

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  ...and not near the edges.
  

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  Also, birds may fly away from their nests for many days, leaving their eggs unprotected.
  

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  These behaviors suggest that animals may be able to predict natural events, such as earthquakes, better than people.