A groundbreaking study has shown that turtles can “dance” in response to Earth’s magnetic field, providing the first direct evidence that animals can use magnetic field lines as a personal map. The research reveals that animals such as sea turtles can plot and remember important geographical areas using Earth’s magnetic field, from feeding zones to nesting sites.
Turtles Use Magnetic Field for More Than Just Compass Navigation
While it’s well known that migratory animals like birds, salmon, and lobsters use Earth’s magnetic field as a compass, scientists now believe that turtles go a step further. They not only use it to determine their direction but also to learn and remember specific geographical areas. This new discovery adds to the growing understanding of magnetoreception, the ability to sense Earth’s magnetic field for navigation.
“Turtle Dance” Proves Magnetic Map Theory
In a fascinating experiment, young loggerhead turtles were placed in a tank surrounded by a magnetic coil that mimicked the Atlantic Ocean’s magnetic field. The turtles responded to the magnetic signature of specific regions, eagerly “dancing” in the water when they anticipated food. This behavior, dubbed the “turtle dance,” was strongest when the magnetic conditions matched the area associated with food.
A Dual Sense of Magnetoreception
The study also suggests that turtles, like other migratory animals, may rely on two types of magnetoreception: a compass sense to determine direction and a map sense to remember locations. These processes may work separately, with the map sense possibly involving a different mechanism from the chemical reactions responsible for the compass sense.