Sea Turtles' Secret Navigation: It's All in the Dance
2025-02-14
Scientists have discovered that sea turtles use Earth's magnetic field for navigation, expressing memories of food locations through a unique "dancing" behavior. Researchers trained turtles to associate specific magnetic fields with food, and the turtles responded by excitedly "dancing" when they sensed the familiar field. Published in Nature, this study reveals that turtles possess two distinct magnetoreception mechanisms: a magnetic compass and a magnetic map, suggesting these mechanisms may have evolved separately. This provides crucial insights into understanding animal magnetoreception.