What happened to our sixth sense?

AuntB's pitbull Mrs. Wigglebottom is predicting a change in weather today.

Based on the behavior of my dog this morning, I say that it’s going to be a rocky day here in Nashville weather-wise. There’s not a rain drop falling nor a distant peel of thunder and the dog is already panting and hiding in the tub.

Just for good measure, I went over and told our meteorologist Davis Nolan who then glanced up at StormTracker. Sure enough, Mrs. Wigglebottom is right. Storms are coming, y'all. But is Mrs. Wigglebottom trying to warn of greater danger? Time will tell.

That got me to thinking about how animals are way more in tune with nature than the rest of us through something called a "sixth sense." Personally, my sixth sense is the internet. It tells me if it's gonna rain and what I should wear that day. Generally, it works to about 5 days out, but I'm screwed if a solar flare wipes out the Google as we know it.

The farmer's almanac was Davis Nolan's predecessor in days gone by, and believe it or not, they have a whole formula for converting cricket chirps into a temperature reading in Celsius.

To convert cricket chirps to degrees Fahrenheit, count number of chirps in 14 seconds then add 40 to get temperature. Example: 30 chirps + 40 = 70° F. To convert cricket chirps to degrees Celsius, count number of chirps in 25 seconds, divide by 3, then add 4 to get temperature. Example: 48 chirps /(divided by) 3 + 4 = 20° C

One animal we have plenty of around here are cows. If you don't have access to StormTracker, remember to pay close attention to their tails.

If a cow stands with its tail to the west, the weather is said to be fair. On the other hand, if a cow grazes with its tail to the east, the weather is likely to turn sour. There is some possible truth to this prediction. Animals graze with their tail toward the wind so that if a predator sneaks up behind them, the wind will help catch the scent of the predator and prevent an attack. A west wind can indicate fair weather while an east wind means rain. This is only true for the Northern Hemisphere. The cow's prediction might also be wrong during a hurricane.

Punxsutawney Phil is probably the most famous animal who supposedly predicts if we're going to have more Winter or Spring-like weather after Ground Hog Day. His website proclaims "the Seer of Seers predicted six more weeks of winter when he made his prediction on February 2nd."

All kinds of reports during the devastating 2004 tsunami claim animals warned those who would listen.

According to eyewitness accounts, the following events happened:
• Elephants screamed and ran for higher ground.
• Dogs refused to go outdoors.
• Flamingos abandoned their low-lying breeding areas.
• Zoo animals rushed into their shelters and could not be enticed to come back out.

I'll watch Davis, but I'm also keeping a third eye on Mrs. Wigglebottom today.