Okay, he’s not really a scientist per se, but he does have a solid reputation for predicting the weather. Meet Mojave Max, a 34-year-old desert tortoise who lives in Palm Desert, California.
When Max stops hibernating and crawls out of his burrow, that’s considered by locals to be the end of winter. They even have an annual contest where people try to guess when it will happen.
Thing is, Max is waking up later and later each year. Historically he rubs the sleep out of his eyes and comes out of hibernation by February 15, but this year he waited until the 22nd. Last year he barely beat the deadline, crawling out on the 13th wearing ear muffs and a look of regret on his face, but two years ago he waited until the 24th.
Seems Max is trying to tell us something: “Baby, it’s cold outside.”
Three days later weather forecasters predicted snowfall in San Francisco for the first time in 35 years. So Mojave Max knows what’s he doing.
Somebody get this guy a job at the IPCC.
– Written by J.P. Travis of JPAttitude.com
Sources: KPSP-TV, DesertTortoise.gov
This post was last modified on October 18, 2023
View Comments (7)
i'm no expert but i did study heat transfer in the climatology of high latitudes. two things: 'ice ages' are far more likely than warm periods, and earth science, like any other science, has more questions than answers
If the weatherman says it's going to snow, I look out the window. If there's no one in my yard I tend to doubt the weatherman. But if the bunnies are out there, then I believe. The bunnies come out of the brambles and eat like pigs when they know they're going to be snowed in for a few days.
In bunnies we trust.
I would believe a tortoise over a liberal environmentalist any day of the week.
animals have been predicting weather/catastrophic events, for as long as people have been smart enough - to watch them, - luckily animals aren't politically oriented.
Majin that! And here I thought it was the other way around. Learn something new every day. I love this site, it's better than the Learning Channel!
Majin you say?
http://www.toy-tma.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Majin-Buu-is-Happy.png
Everyone knows that due to global warming, the planet gets warmer. And everyone knows that due to global warming, if the planet gets colder, that's also a sign of global warming. duh.