Rain Animals Sometimes

 Rain Animals Sometimes

For what reasons does it sometimes rain animals?

Among the most atypical meteorological phenomena, animal rains have strongly marked history. There are many showers of rain falling from frogs, fish or birds. Today, even though scientists propose hypotheses about the mechanisms underlying these phenomena, certain gray areas still persist.

Since the ancient period until today, various cases of rain of animals have been reported in the literature. Many mentions are made in the Greek and Roman texts, as well as in religious writings like the Bible. The phenomenon thus quickly takes on an esoteric or divine aspect and gives rise to the installation of certain beliefs; for example, in the Middle Ages, it is thought that fish are born and grow in the heavens before falling back to the surface.

From the 16th century, testimonials become more reliable, more precise and benefit from more rigorous descriptions. Hundreds of reports will be recorded for several centuries and everywhere in the world. Rains of mice in Norway (Bergen, 1578) to toad rains in England (Acle, 1625), frogs rains in Massachusetts (1953), shrimp rains in Australia (New South Wales, 1978) ) or turtle rains in Italy (Faenza, 2011), there are many observations.

From the first testimonies, several hypotheses flourish. For the Church, the phenomenon is a sign of divine punishment. This is how he is described in the Bible as one of the ten plagues of Egypt (rain of frogs).

Some scientists propose that animals do not always need to be born by parents and that they can be spontaneously created in the heavens, where the conditions are conducive to the necessary biological reactions. Others argue that eggs are transported in the clouds by evaporation before hatching.

It was not until the 19th century that scientists began to seriously consider animal rains. The French physicist and chemist André-Marie Ampère is the first to propose a scientific explanation. He argues that at certain times of the year, amphibians (frogs and toads) move in groups and can be captured by powerful gusts and released further from a certain altitude.

The researchers are now advancing the probable hypothesis of the waterspouts. Tornadoes composed of air and water starting on the surface of aquatic expanses (ponds, rivers, oceans, etc.) powerful enough to trap animals. In some cases, a whirlwind can completely dry out a body of water and capture all its inhabitants. In the air column, animals are brought up and then fall during storms and showers. These rains of animals may be accompanied by conventional precipitation or not.