Let's look into some of the special "magnetic" animals right now!
A. Sea Turtle
Baby loggerhead sea turtles are able to find their way along an 8,000-mile migration route the first time they ever see it!
Scientists took some turtles off course, but they were able to find their way back with little difficulty.
Believing that some magnetic orienteering was going on, the next experiment subjected the turtles to a variety of magnetic fields that differed from the earth's natural field.
These turtles went off course.
Exposure to a magnet that mimicked the earth's field set them right again - proof that the turtles can detect the Earth's magnetic field and use it to navigate.
B. Honey Bees
This small creature actually has tiny compasses in its tummy, that sense the Earth's magnetic field.
Honeybees have tiny paramagnetic particles in their bodies; they are inside cells inside the bees' tummy.
Depending on whether they are lined up side-by-side, or end-to-end, these paramagnetic particles can, as the external magnetic field changes, swell or shrink.
These paramagnetic particles are attached to the "walls" of the cells that they are in, so as the paramagnetic particles change change, so do the cell walls.
And nerves, attached to the outside of these cells, carry signals up to the honeybee's brain.
So the magnetic cells in the bees tummy are like tiny onboard compasses.
By using the paramagnetic particles of iron oxide, these honeybees can avoid getting lost on the way home, and iron out their problems with a little magnetic navigation.
Interesting isn't it?
C. Homing Pigeons
Fondly known as our carrier pigeon - she is "magnetic" too?!
Yes, research has been performed with the intention of discovering how pigeons, after being transported, can find their way back from distant places they have never visited before.
Many researchers believe that homing ability is based on a "map and compass" model, with the compass feature allowing birds to orient and the map feature allowing birds to determine their location relative to a goal site.
It is true that birds can detect a magnetic field, to help them find their way home.
On top of magnetic navigation, some research also indicates that homing pigeons navigate by following roads and other man-made features, making 90 degree turns and following habitual routes, much the same way that humans navigate.
Amusing, aren't they?
Here comes to the end of this learning website.
But do look into the next post and test your knowledge you have acquired so far about Physics and Animals with my puzzle!