Rain of Animals And How Fish Rain Happen
It's raining cats and dogs: this popular English expression symbolizes pouring rain. However, Antiquity reports cases in which these words took on a real dimension, far beyond a simple linguistic image. Evidence of various organic forms suddenly fallen from the sky, however, most often state fish or frogs ...
Fish fallen from the sky
For a long time, fish and frog rains have remained confined to the domain of legend, although various civilizations have reported its existence, most in the context of a divine curse or a bad omen. Since then, such events have been the subject of scientific evidence. On February 9, 1859, a rain of sticklebacks - small marine or freshwater fish - fell on the Welsh town of Mountain Ash. Since then, scientists have focused more specifically on the phenomenon of animal rain.
Over the past decades, many historical cases have been identified, from the 2nd century BC until today. It appears that these phenomena are not limited to fish and amphibians, but also extends to insects, snails, birds, flesh, blood or stones, even if the latter categories occur more rarely.
How fish rain happen
A recent theory connects fish rains and planes, which would accidentally spill their cargo on overflown regions. Although this theory enjoys great popularity in scientific circles, evidence from ancient times when aeronautics did not exist undoubtedly refutes it.
The most widespread hypothesis remains that of fish and frogs which, sucked by tornadoes or downpours, would be rejected when the power of the wind decreases. At first glance, this theory appears to be the most suitable for an explanation of the phenomenon, however different parameters are false.
Indeed, several testimonies state animal rains concerning exclusively one species: let us quote, by way of example, the rain of sardines which fell in 2002 on the north of Greece or the sticklebacks which swept over Mountain Ash. The most astonishing is the phenomenon of “sorting of species”: a tornado, when unleashed, should logically sweep away various species of fish or amphibians, stones, plants, and even pieces of land.
In addition, these animal rains are generally concentrated on a very small area. In Mountain Ash, the fish have spread over an area of 800 square meters. In addition, statements by observers indicate two rains, 10 minutes apart. Such a phenomenon would therefore mean that the tornado would have stagnated 15 minutes on the same site in order to offload live fish twice. Such an eventuality certainly remains possible, but is of the utmost improbability.
The third argument against the tornado theory remains the different states of the animals. Two cases recorded in India, in 1833 in Futtepoor and in 1836 in Allahabad, report a fish rain, not only dead, but dried up. In 1896, in Essen, a rain of crucian carp fell stuck in ice, while in Mountain Ash, they were live fish, visibly unharmed after the fall.
Although some tracks exist, the phenomenon of animal rains still remains a mystery at present.
