Ellen Lloyd – MessageToEagle.com – The oarfish is called “Messenger of the Sea God’s Palace” and with good reason. According to an ancient Japanese legend the oarfish are omens of coming earthquakes.
There are some scientific theories and physical evidence that suggest the legend could be true.
Ancient Legend Foretells Oarfish Are Omens Of Coming Earthquakes
According to traditional Japanese lore, the fish rise to the surface and beach themselves to warn of an impending earthquake.
It is one of several myths surrounding unusual animal behavior or observations prior to earthquakes, which have been used anecdotally to predict impending disasters.
“In ancient times Japanese people believed that fish warned of coming earthquakes, particularly catfish,” Hiroshi Tajihi, deputy director of the Kobe Earthquake Centre.
Why Sightings Of Oarfish Are Rare
Giant oarfish are very rare serpent-like creatures that live more than 3,000 feet deep underwater. An oarfish can grow to more than 50 feet. It is believed that this giant fish is responsible for myths and legends of sea serpents throughout history.
It is the longest known bone fish and sightings are very rare mainly because the fish lives in deep-water.
Oarfish have a habit of coming to the surface either when sick or dying, or occasionally when they are being beached during wild storms.
Not all oarfish sighting are linked to the coming of earthquakes. Nevertheless, there are some interesting reports of discoveries of dead oarfish just ahead of earthquakes.
In October 2013, there were two oarfish sightings in California.
A marine science instructor snorkeling off the Southern California coast spotted the silvery carcass of the 18-foot-long, serpent-like oarfish. This rare fish was 18-foot-long with eyes the size of half dollars.
Some days later, a new sighting took place. For the second time in a week, a rare serpent-like oarfish has surfaced in Southern California.
On Saturday, Saturday, a day after the beaching of the second oarfish there was a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in the Gulf of California.
On October 25, an earthquake with magnitude 7.3 occurred near Iwaki, Honshu, Japan. Later reports downgraded the preliminary magnitude estimate to 7.1.
In January, 2017 as many as 6 oarfish dead have washed ashore throughout the Philippine islands. This has led some to believe in horrible seismic events can be expected in the near future.
Days before the magnitude-6.7 quake in Surigao City, an oarfish was also caught off the shore of Agusan de Norte. Several aftershocks were also recorded after the main earthquake.
Do Stranded Oarfish Predict Earthquakes?
Scientists have said that bottom-dwelling fish may very well be susceptible to movements in seismic fault lines and act in uncharacteristic ways in advance of an earthquake.
Many other animals have been known to display strange behavior shortly before earthquakes strike, sometimes weeks in advance.
The earliest reference of unusual animal behavior prior to a significant earthquake is from Greece in 373 BC. Rats, weasels, snakes, and centipedes reportedly left their homes and headed for safety several days before a destructive earthquake.
Anecdotal evidence abounds of animals, fish, birds, reptiles, and insects exhibiting strange behavior anywhere from weeks to seconds before an earthquake. However, consistent and reliable behavior prior to seismic events, and a mechanism explaining how it could work, still eludes us. Most, but not all, scientists pursuing this mystery are in China or Japan.
See also:
Rare Serpent-Like Oarfish Surfaces Again! Is This A Sign Of A Coming Earthquake?
Large Earthquake Strikes Japan – Is The Oarfish Legend True After All?
Legendary Sea Monster Exists: Icelandic Government Commission Says
Kraken Controversy – New Fossil Evidence Of Legendary Sea Monster
Scientists disagree on whether stranded oarfish predict earthquakes.
“These are just old superstitions and there is no scientific relationship between these sightings and an earthquake,” Hiroshi Tajihi, deputy director of the Kobe Earthquake Centre said.
There are however also scientists who are more cautious. The oarfish, deep-sea dwellers that remain largely mysterious to researchers, have been seen underwater only a handful of times. What is known comes from the few carcasses that have washed ashore.
Rachel Grant, a lecturer in animal biology at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, said there might be some truth in the ancient Japanese legend that the appearance of oarfish precedes an earthquake.
In order to find out if the legend is true after all, Grant is currently studying the links between the sightings and any earthquakes reported by the US Geological Survey within a 500 mile radius.
Her research is based on several hundred oarfish sightings over the past two and a half years.
“It’s theoretically possible because when an earthquake occurs there can be a build-up of pressure in the rocks which can lead to electrostatic charges that cause electrically-charged ions to be released into the water,” Dr Grant said.
“This can lead to the formation of hydrogen peroxide, which is a toxic compound. The charged ions can also oxidise organic matter which could either kill the fish or force them to leave the deep ocean and rise to the surface,” she said.
“Another possibility is that prior to an earthquake there is a release of large quantities of carbon monoxide gas, which could also affect oarfish and other deep-see creatures,” Dr Grant said.
Dr Grant says it’s too early to dismiss the ancient Japanese oarfish legend. Many more studies must be to determine if there is a link between the sudden appearance of dead oarfish and coming earthquakes.
What she has discovered so far is that there is no link between reports of mass migrations of young frogs and earthquakes – a connection that had been made in Chinese folklore.
Unusual animal behavior shortly before earthquakes strike has been reported world-wide and it is a scientific topic we still know little about.
Much research still needs to be done on this subject.
Written by Ellen Lloyd – MessageToEagle.com
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