Pouring rain might be one of the most beautiful sights to behold. However, it is not always followed by petrichor and dew-drippy green leaves; sometimes, showers of rain bring along creatures. In early 2023, when rain poured on the land of Lajamanu town in Australia, residents came out of their homes to find fish scattered everywhere. For them, it was not just rainwater but ‘raining fishes.’ The bizarre incident was first reported by ABC News.
Lajamanu is located 560 kilometers southwest of Katherine on the northern edge of the Tanami Desert in Australia. The town featured in headlines as fish rained in torrents during a heavy rainstorm. Talking to the phenomenon, Andrew Johnson Japanangka, Lajamanu resident and Central Desert councilor, said, “We’ve seen a big storm heading up to my community and we thought it was just rain. But when the rain started falling we’ve seen fish falling as well.” Interestingly, it was not the first time Lajamanu people experienced this unusual occurrence. According to the outlet, a similar phenomenon was observed in the town in 2010, 2004, and even 1974. Watch the viral fish rain scene in this Instagram reel.
In general, this phenomenon is called “animal rain,” and though rare, it is not uncommon. According to National Geographic, “animal rain” is a real weather phenomenon that happens when small flightless animals get swept up in the air and are then dumped back down with raindrops. For centuries, people in different regions have reported rains of creatures like bats, fish, snakes, birds, frogs, and jellies.
Ancient Origins lists some examples of these past occurrences. In the first century, the Roman historian and author, Pliny the Elder, reported raining fish and frogs in Rome. In the third century AD, Greek grammarian Athenaeus reported raining frogs in Paeonia and Dardania. In 1894, jellyfish rained in Bath, England. In 2017, the coastal Mexican city of Tampico experienced rain of fish.
In Lajamanu’s case, Japanangka shared that the fish that rained were at least “the size of two fingers.” Queensland Museum Ichthyologist Jeffrey Johnson described these falling fish as “spangled perch,” which are about the size of a child’s palm, per Newsweek. Japanangka added that the fish were still alive when they fell in the rain shower. “Some are still hanging around in the community in a puddle of water,” he said, adding that children were picking up the fish and keeping them in bottles and jars. “It was the most amazing thing we’ve ever seen. I think it’s a blessing from the Lord.”
According to National Geographic, there can be two possible explanations behind “animal rain” like the one Lajamanu witnessed. These are “waterspouts” or “updrafts.” During waterspouts, clouds swirl above large bodies of water and form vortices that dip into the waters and pull up small animals like fish or frogs, traveling up to 100 miles per hour. Whereas, updrafts, also called “strong winds” can sweep up relatively larger animals. As waterspouts and updrafts hover above land, they gradually lose their swirling energy and start dumping the animals frozen in the hail mid-air. Heavier animals are dumped first.
“Small fish or frogs can be captured as part of an updraft during the formation of thunderstorms. It would have to be a particularly strong updraft while developing over a river or near the sea, for any small fish or frogs to be transported with it, but it has been known to happen,” Met Office UK weather service explained to IFL Science.
