Strange case of the flying tadpoles

KANAZAWA--Residents in Nanao and Hakusan, Ishikawa Prefecture, remain mystified after finding dozens of dead tadpoles in locations the creatures should not be.

A city employee in Nanao was shocked to discover about 100 tadpoles--about 2 to 3 centimeters long--in the parking lot of Nakajima Shimin Center last Thursday afternoon.

There are no tall buildings nearby from which a tadpole-tossing villain could operate.

In Hakusan, about 80 kilometers away, a woman found about 30 tadpoles splattered on and around her daughter's car Saturday morning.

The Kanazawa Local Meteorological Observatory said atmospheric conditions over the two cities had been stable, and it was unlikely a tornado had been generated.(IHT/Asahi: June 10,2009)