The Phenomenon of Raining Animals

Since ancient times, people around the world have reported animals falling from the sky like rain. Fish, frogs, birds, and occasionally more exotic creatures have descended in quantities ranging from dozens to thousands. The phenomenon, called “animal rain” or “fafrotskies” (falls from the skies), has been documented throughout history but remains poorly understood.

Historical Accounts

The Roman author Pliny the Elder recorded fish and frog rains in the first century CE. Medieval chronicles describe similar events. The phenomenon appears in cultures worldwide, from Native American traditions to ancient Chinese records.

These accounts were long dismissed as folklore or exaggeration. However, modern documentation has confirmed that animal rain is a genuine, if rare, phenomenon.

Documented Cases

In 1861, a rain of fish fell on Singapore, described in detail by French naturalist Francis de Castelnau. Hundreds of fish fell over a wide area following a heavy rainstorm.

In 1947, biologist A.D. Bajkov witnessed a fish rain in Marksville, Louisiana. He collected specimens and published a scientific paper on the event. The fish, including large-mouth bass and sunfish, fell over a quarter-mile area.

In 2001, the town of Great Yarmouth in England experienced a rain of small fish. Similar events have been recorded in recent decades in Australia, Japan, Honduras, and India.

Frog rains have been documented in numerous locations. In 1873, Scientific American reported a rain of frogs in Kansas City. In 1981, frogs fell on Naphlion, Greece. Such events continue to be reported.

Proposed Explanations

The most widely accepted explanation involves waterspouts—tornadoes that form over water. A waterspout could theoretically lift fish or frogs from a pond or shallow water, carry them considerable distances, and deposit them when the vortex weakens.

This explanation has problems, however. Waterspouts deposit debris in scattered patterns, while animal rains are often remarkably uniform, with only one species falling in a given event. Additionally, some animal rains occur far from any body of water that could have served as a source.

Alternative theories include birds dropping prey during storms, fish being blown from flooded areas during hurricanes, and previously unknown migration behaviors. None fully explain all documented cases.

The Problem of Selectivity

The most puzzling aspect of animal rain is its selectivity. Events typically involve a single species. A rain of fish does not include water plants, mud, or other aquatic debris. A rain of frogs does not include tadpoles or insects from the same habitat.

If waterspouts simply lifted water and its contents, one would expect a mixture of everything in the source pond. The selectivity of animal rains remains unexplained.

Stranger Falls

Beyond fish and frogs, stranger falls have been documented. In 1876, meat fell from a clear sky over Bath County, Kentucky. Analysis suggested it was lung tissue, possibly from a horse. No explanation was ever established.

In 1969, golf balls fell during a storm in Punta Gorda, Florida. Investigations suggested they may have been lifted from a nearby golf course, but the mechanism remained unclear.

Assessment

Animal rain is a genuine phenomenon, documented by credible witnesses and confirmed by physical evidence. The waterspout theory explains some cases but not all. The selectivity of falls, the distances sometimes involved, and the sheer quantity of animals in some events suggest our understanding is incomplete.

Something lifts these creatures into the sky and drops them elsewhere. Until we fully understand what and how, the sky’s occasional gift of fish and frogs remains one of nature’s enduring mysteries.