[Columbia, SC] - Animal communication researcher Liz von Muggenthaler will explore whether animals can sense vibrations in the Earth much sooner than humans during her two-day research trip to Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, which will be featured in an upcoming Discovery Channel documentary.

"Liz's research is helping us to further our understanding about the complexity of both captive and wild animals, their interactions with each other and their environment. Zoos like Riverbanks are an important part of gaining this understanding since captive research environments enhance our body of knowledge about how animal interaction facilitates survival in nature," said John Davis, Riverbanks Zoo's curator of mammals and a long-time colleague of Muggenthaler.

After 2004's tsunami hit southeast Asia, news reports surfaced about animals that had headed for the hills long before the catastrophic wave ever struck land. A herd of Asian elephants reportedly behaved strangely before breaking free from their chains and running for higher ground. Likewise, in the 12 hours before Hurricane Charley hit Florida's Gulf Coast last year, 14 electronically tagged blacktip sharks off the coast of Sarasota took off for deeper waters, staying away for two weeks and then returning, after four years of having never left their home waters.

Riverbanks Zoo will host Muggenthaler for two days, November 18 and 19, as she collaborates with keepers to study the park's elephants and tigers, and specifically their reactions to audio and seismic stimuli. Her current focus on infrasonic communication and seismic interaction among animals will help scientists determine whether animals are responding to vibrations in the Earth much sooner than humans might respond to typical audio and visual warnings received shortly before a natural disaster strikes.

Muggenthaler has been researching animal behavior and communication since 1992. She is the CEO of Fauna Communications, a private group specializing in animal communication research. Her work has been featured in National Geographic and was the subject of a PBS Nature Series documentary Tall Blondes, a series that focused on giraffe communication and particularly Muggenthaler's theory that the silent giraffes actually communicate via infrasound.

Muggenthaler will participate in a guest lecture at Riverbanks Zoo's Education Center on Thursday, November 17 at 7:00pm. Tickets are free for Society members and $15 for general admission. Anyone interested in attending should call 803.779.8717, ext. 1117 to reserve seats, and nonmembers can pay for tickets that night at the Zoo entrance gate. Seating is limited, so reservations will be taken on a first come, first serve basis.