AT LAST
...a practical use for snakes.
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...a practical use for snakes.
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FIRST! And why is there a picture of a frog in the article instead of a snake?
Posted by: deblemint | December 28, 2006 at 08:02 AM
Snakes as a Vane?
Posted by: Lairbo | December 28, 2006 at 08:15 AM
The snake is leaning on the froggie's butt. Is this how they are used to predict earthquakes?
Posted by: Baron vonKlyff | December 28, 2006 at 08:16 AM
snork @ Lairbo
Posted by: Baron vonKlyff | December 28, 2006 at 08:16 AM
Snakes on a plain?
*need coffee*
Posted by: fivver | December 28, 2006 at 08:23 AM
Be nice! It's not the snakes' fault.
(get it? fault????)
*need coffee*
Posted by: Punkin Poo | December 28, 2006 at 08:35 AM
New Years' Resolution:
Find out where "comment bot" lives and kill it.
Posted by: Punkin Poo | December 28, 2006 at 08:36 AM
Caption under photo: "Predicting a fill stomach. Photo by Rhett Butler."
I got nuthin'.
Posted by: ubetcha | December 28, 2006 at 08:36 AM
That picture freaks me out.
And whose job is it going to be to watch the snakes. And is it a full-time job? And exactly how much would something like that pay. I'm just curious.
Posted by: Lisa Bisa Fo Fisa | December 28, 2006 at 08:39 AM
"Jiang reportedly said that snakes can sense an earthquake from 120 km (70 miles) away, three to five days before it happens."
China Daily didn't indicate the basis for his statement.
So I will - he's a parselmouth.
Posted by: Punkin Poo | December 28, 2006 at 08:40 AM
Snake farms?
Posted by: casey | December 28, 2006 at 08:41 AM
About those animals running away from the tsunami... Well considering that a major earthquake occurred 15 minutes to 3 hours before the tsunami, depending on location, there was plenty of time for the animals to flee after they felt the earthquake and before the tsunami struck. It was an instinctive reaction to run from it. No special earthquake detection superpowers there. Only Humans didn't flee after the earthquake, because humans are too smart/stupid for their own good, and most unfortunately assumed the danger was over.It's stupid news reports like this that trick people into believing all kinds of nonsense
Posted by: Edgar Greenberg | December 28, 2006 at 08:43 AM
*visions of Chinese cowboys trying to calm a stampeeding herd of panicked snakes.*
*how in the h3ll do you lasso them?*
Posted by: fivver | December 28, 2006 at 08:43 AM
*Visions of Chinese cowboys riding ferrets to rope fivver's stampeding herd*
Posted by: Hammond Rye | December 28, 2006 at 08:57 AM
Bothersome quote: ... Further seismometers are more sensitive to P-waves than animals ...
Firstly, the egregious lack of proper punctuation is distracting, to say the least.
Secondly, I am usually bothered by statements such as this, that assert a thing to be true, fact or unchallengable datum, simply based on the narrowmindedness of the egocentric speaker. How do they know that the animals cannot/do not "sense" whatever is measured by the device?
I visualize a tester with the machine, and a dog, bird or snake wearing a tiny little set of earphones, as the tester changes settings on a dial:
All right, Bowser, can you feel this? And now, how about this? This?
Speakin' of narrow-minded ... should we give that appelation to snakes, 'cuz they're so slim? Merely wonderin' ...
Posted by: OtheU(manity) | December 28, 2006 at 09:17 AM
So is the Massachusetts legislature hiding the fact that they know that earthquakes will hit the area?
Or did the Chinese sense that Dave has not blogged them in a while?
Perhaps someone can now invent a Ted Kennedy stomp-down-the-hall detector?
Posted by: qsman | December 28, 2006 at 09:32 AM
YIKES!
What a sight to wake up to. A two-headed frog.
Posted by: Siouxie | December 28, 2006 at 09:53 AM
Reporter: We're here at the scene of Punxatawney Python's lair, waiting for him to appear as he senses the next earthquake.
Punxatawney Python:Peekaboa!
Reporter: Gaaaah! Run for your lives - an earthquake's coming!!!
Punxatawney Python: Psyche!!!
Posted by: Annie Where-but-here | December 28, 2006 at 12:27 PM
So borrowing from Wyo's cat herder video on the other thread...when the snakes sense an earthquake, they essentially stampede.
And when ya think about it, "snake stampede" might be a good name for a country line dance.
*shrug* just thinkin' out loud
Posted by: Lisa Bisa Fo Fisa | December 28, 2006 at 01:50 PM
Frog: "Ah, excuse me, but has everyone failed to notice that there's a snake biting my butt!!! Don't just blog there. HELP!"
Posted by: frog | December 28, 2006 at 01:52 PM
Hey frog, the best thing to do in that kind of situation, is vent gas.
Posted by: Edgar Greenberg | December 28, 2006 at 02:18 PM
Edgar-That could be the new "Never give up" poster.
(you know, the one with the frog grabbing the pelican's neck while it's getting eaten)
Posted by: Lisa Bisa Fo Fisa | December 28, 2006 at 02:31 PM
I guess maybe there _is_ a reason to WATCH OUT FOR SNAKES now?
/eeeEegahh!
Posted by: Otis Wildflower | December 28, 2006 at 03:01 PM
Otis! Are you a fellow MSTie? A man after my own heart. :-)
And SNORK at "Peekaboa!"
Posted by: Renee (the First) | December 28, 2006 at 10:04 PM
Oh, and Lisa -- nice idea. You should write to the folks at Despair.com.
Posted by: Renee (the First) | December 28, 2006 at 10:05 PM
Hey it was my image. I should get a cut of the royalties.
Posted by: Edgar Greenberg | December 28, 2006 at 10:13 PM
"What IS that??" "I dunno, I woke up this morning with a little frog in my throat..."
Posted by: baligurl | December 28, 2006 at 10:46 PM
You got it Edgar. ;-)
Posted by: Lisa Bisa Fo Fisa | December 28, 2006 at 11:49 PM
*snork* @ baligurl
Posted by: Lisa Bisa Fo Fisa | December 28, 2006 at 11:50 PM
So... when the snake senses a quake, how does it communicate this to us humans? Does it bark?
Snake: BARK! BARK!
Human: What is it girl?
Snake: BARK! BARK!
Human: Is Timmy in the well, again?
Snake: BARK!
Human: Is an earthquake imminent, girl?
Snake: BARK!BARK!BARK!BARK!BARK!
Posted by: AlanBoss | December 29, 2006 at 12:58 AM
Well ... that's better than BORK!BORK!BORK! ... I guess ...
(Hi, AB ... how ya been? I'm headed back to CA next week, but dunno if I'll be in the SoCal part fer awhile ... still werkin' up around San Luis Obispo & northward, last I wuz told ...)
Posted by: OtheU(manity) | December 29, 2006 at 01:01 AM
Hi OtheU! Nice country up north. Be ready for a lot of wind and cold. (Not NoDack cold, but cold enough.)
Posted by: AlanBoss | December 30, 2006 at 12:25 AM
snakes are sensitive
snakes are kind
some went up someone's behind
high there mudstuffin
what you puffin
from you on this one i dont see nuffin
Posted by: mrs jack sprat | December 31, 2006 at 01:59 AM