The sea turtlesfamous for their long oceanic migrations, they usually return to the same places to feed or nest. And although it is not well known what mechanisms use to navigate, it is believed that they use the magnetic field of The Earth.
Now, a new study led by the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill (United States), has discovered that these animals are able to use the earth’s magnetic field as a map, to determine the geographical position, and as a compass, to determine the direction in which they are.
In addition, research shows that sea turtles can learn and remember the magnetic firm of a given area. And when they find it, they perform a ‘dance’.
The details of the research have been published on Wednesday in Nature magazine.
Magnetic signals
For some time, scientists believe that many migratory animals use the earth’s magnetic field to navigate but, for this, it is necessary for animals to learn the magnetic coordinates of their destiny.
However, the hypothesis that animals can learn signs or magnetic signatures of determined geographical areas (where they nest or find food, for example), had not yet been tested.
To demonstrate it, a team led by Kayla Goforth, from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, housed several copies of young winds (Caretta Caretta) in tanks in which magnetic firms related to specific geographical places were recreated.
The animals spent the same time in two magnetic fields, but only fed on one of them.
When they were in the area associated with feed magnetic ‘internal.
The authors discovered that this sense depended on a mechanism other than the magnetic ‘dumps’ turtle, which implies that the turtles have two different geomagnetic senses to facilitate navigation.
The findings suggest that migratory species such as Bobas turtles use the geomagnetic field as a map when they navigate large distances.
The authors argue that the two different tools of magnetoreception could also be present in most migratory species, such as fish and birds, but more research is needed to determine the internal functioning of these mechanisms.