A new study has showed that animals have the ability to predict earthquakes. They can feel the bad vibes in the earth's atmosphere, said researchers. The findings of the research were published in the journal Physics and Chemistry of the Earth.

Researchers during the study captured on camera for the first time how the behavior of wild animals changes before an earthquake.

For the new study, researchers used data gathered from a series of motion-triggered cameras in the Yanachaga National Park in Peru.

After deeply going through the collected data, researchers found that significant changes in animal behavior started 23 days before the magnitude 7.0 Contamana earthquake struck the region in 2011.

Per day the cameras recorded between five and 15 animal sightings. Within 23-day period in the run-up to the earthquake, they were able to record very few sighting nearly five or fewer.

And almost five to seven days before the earthquake, no animal movements were recorded at all. Scientists said that the data gathered was incredibly unusual.

In addition, by recording the reflection of Very Low Frequency (VLF) radio waves above the area surrounding the epicenter, scientists found some disturbances in the ionosphere, which started nearly two weeks before the earthquake.

They said large fluctuation was recorded almost eight days before the earthquake, which coincided with the second significant decrease in animal activity observed in the pre-earthquake period.

Researchers said that the unusual behaviors was majorly due to positive airborne ions, which are known to be generated in large numbers at the earth's surface when rocks deep below are subjected to increasing stresses during the build-up to an earthquake.

They said that positive ions in the air lead cause some side effects in animals and humans, such as serotonin syndrome.

This syndrome is caused by an increase in the serotonin levels in the bloodstream, and can lead to symptoms such as restlessness, agitation, hyperactivity and confusion.