#6: オタマジャクシ：空から大量に 石川で奇妙な現象相次ぐ

オタマジャクシ：空から大量に　石川で奇妙な現象相次ぐ
Tadpoles: large numbers fall from the sky, a strange phenomenon continues in Ishikawa.
(毎日 新聞　2009年6月9日　19時34分)

石川県内で今月に入り、空からオタマジャクシが大量に降ったとみられる現象が相次いでいる。
In Ishikawa prefecture at the beginning of this month, the strange phenomenon of large numbers of tadpoles falling from the sky could be seen occurring one after another.

魚が竜巻に巻き上げられるケースは報告されているが、今回は竜巻が発生するような気象条件になく、関係者は首をかしげている。
There have been reported cases of fish being sucked up in waterspouts, however this time the weather conditions have not been suitable for producing waterspouts and so the authorities are scratching their heads.

同県七尾市の中島市民センターの駐車場で４日午後４時３５分ごろ、男性職員が地面や車の上に体長２～３センチのオタマジャクシ約１００匹が散らばって死んでいるのを見つけた。
In the same prefecture in Nanao city's Nakashima Citizen Center car park, at about 4:35pm on the 4th of the month, a male staff member found about 100 dead tadpoles 2-3cm long scattered about on the ground and on top of cars.

風は弱く、職員は「バタバタ」という音で気付いたという。
It was said that the wind was gentle and the staff member noticed a sound like "bata bata".

６日午前７時半ごろには、同県白山市の民家周辺でも約４０匹が見つかった。
On the 6th of the month at about 7.30am, 40 were discovered around a private home in Hakusan city in the same prefecture.

この家に住む石川信子さん（７５）は「つぶれたのもあり、周りは水でぬれていなかった。キツネにつままれた気分」と話した。
Nobuko Ishikawa (75), who lives in the house, said "some were smashed, it was not wet around the area. I felt as though I was being tricked".

いずれも水田に近い場所。金沢地方気象台によると、両日とも曇りで竜巻が起こる気象条件にはなかったという。
Both places were close to water filled rice fields. According to the Kanazawa region meteorological observatory both days were cloudy and so the weather conditions were not said to be suitable for the occurrence of waterspouts.

「巻き上げられたとしても、オタマジャクシだけでなく、同じ体積のゴミなどが一緒に降って来るはずだが」と首をかしげる。
"Even if sucked up, it should not have only been tadpoles, but similar sized rubbish and the like, should also have rained down" it was reported doubtfully.

一方で、鳥が落とした可能性も指摘されている。同県の加賀市鴨池観察館によると、サギやカラスがオタマジャクシを食べ、ひなにえさをやる時や敵が近づいた時に吐くこともあるという。
On the other hand, it was pointed out that is was possible that a bird may have dropped the tadpoles. According to the duck pond observatory in Kaga city in the same prefecture, heron and crows eat tadpoles and when they are feeding them to their young or when their enemies get close they vomit them up.

しかし「軟らかいオタマジャクシは消化が速く、原形のまま出てくるのは考えにくい」と話している。
However "soft tadpoles are digested quickly, so it is difficult to believe they would come out in their original form" they said.

by【澤本麻里子】
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