Animals aiding quake detection

Earthquake monitoring stations across China are making use of nature to supplement their man-made early warning systems.

Researchers have found that many species of animals and birds behave abnormally in the buildup to a large quake.

Although odd behavioral displays do not necessarily mean a tremor is on the way, they can be a good indicator, said Sun De'lei, deputy chief of the quake monitoring and forecasting department at the Earthquake Bureau in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.