The animal world is full of harbingers of doom—at least, according to superstitions. From the Tower of London’s ravens (whose departure would signal the fall of an entire nation) to the average black cat crossing your unlucky path, plenty of critters warn of woe. In Ominous Animals, we explore the lore—and the science—behind these finned, furry, and feathered messengers of impending calamity. In July, divers off the coast of Ruifang, Taiwan, encountered a glimmering, serpent-like figure suspended vertically in the water, like a metallic party streamer glinting in the sun….
