On a stormy night in a small village in northern India, villagers searching for missing water buffaloes were suddenly confronted by a flock of birds that fell around their torches. These birds refused to fly back into the sky or eat anything, and within two days, they all died. Similar "suicide" phenomena occur annually near this jungle village, worsening with the stronger autumn winds and increased rainfall.
The collective deaths of whales have also piqued scientists' interest. On October 10, 1946, 835 orcas beached themselves at a seaside resort in Mar del Plata, Argentina, all perishing. In October 1976, thousands of squid similarly beached themselves along the shores of Cape Cod, USA. On June 30, 1980, 58 giant whales died at Treachery Beach near Seal Rocks in New South Wales, Australia.
Some scientists speculate that whales may have fled from sharks or other threats, leading them to beach themselves in panic; others suggest that they might have been playing or searching for food in shallow waters, inadvertently stranding themselves. However, these explanations seem tenuous. Later, researchers found numerous parasites in the ears of the dead whales, suggesting that these parasites affected their auditory functions, leading to tragedy.
In contrast, the behavior of land animals like lemmings is even more mysterious. In Queensland, Australia, lemmings have been observed repeatedly running into the sea to "commit suicide." Some believe this is a survival tactic, but it does not explain why they do this periodically. Others propose it as a form of "population control" to alleviate ecological pressure from overbreeding, yet this theory lacks convincing evidence.
In China, during the winter of 1975, a major earthquake struck the Haicheng region, and just days before, large numbers of winter snakes reportedly committed mass suicide. After over a decade of research, scientists proposed three theories: the seismic sound theory, the earth gas theory, and the geothermal theory. However, these explanations still raise questions. Snakes are slow-reacting creatures; how could they sense an impending earthquake days in advance?
Suicidal behavior in insects is equally perplexing. For instance, scorpions will curl their tails to sting their own backs when confronted with fire, ultimately leading to their death. Some believe this is a genetic trait developed through evolution, while others suggest that scorpions, which naturally inhabit dark and damp environments, may react to sudden light by pretending to self-destruct. However, the truth remains to be further investigated.
These suicide phenomena in the animal kingdom continue to be an unsolved mystery. Despite extensive research and investigations, scientists have yet to find a convincing answer.
