Can Animals Detect Earthquakes before they Happen? Can we use them as early warning?

An interesting relatively recent paper by Italian researchers say so.....They have made observations of unusual animal behaviour as vocal communications and movements were collected in the same area. A statistical analysis of strange behaviours in dogs and cats may indicate the probable early warning factor of the sense of smell.
Other animals display unusual flight behaviours in female blackbirds, male tits and bats.
Animals Seek Safety: during phase C farm animals seek safety from cow-houses, barns, pens or from other
buildings. Animal shrills and their agitation can alarm people, so this animal behaviour has often saved people.

The Unusual Reptile, Limacidae Behaviour and pH Water: while the majority of animal species seeks safety
outside, a few species, such as reptiles (vipers, snakes), generally seek safety going inside houses 3 - 5 hours before a local earthquake.

Figure. Radon monitoring during April-June 2012; coloured horizontal lines indicates anomalous behaviour of snails and snakes.

Damages to human and animal health were observed, in connection with measured high radon values, like rapid evolution of pathologies, especially dermatological effects and pneumonias by contact. A viper and an unknown snake climbed at the first floor, by run-ladder. Three days after high radioactive emission, many insects and arachnids were founded dead in SPSC basement, in cellar and garden

An increase in the water temperature of rivers and lakes and/or to the emission of warm and dangerous gas
(radon, sulphurous gasses, hydrocyanic anhydrite, ozone, CO2…) can cause the death of fish. Three days before the two earthquakes of M = 4.6, 19:14 LT, and M = 4.8, 19:15 LT, both occurred the August 21st 2000, it was reported in Torre Pellice the death of all fishes of a little artificial lake fed by the Biglione creek, whose temperature increased by 6˚C, recorded in the night. Also some frogs and fresh water shrimps died near the Biglione.

Read the full article here: http://file.scirp.org/pdf/OJER_2014022714134169.pdf