Two Mechanisms of Magnetoreception in Turtles
We’re now learning that turtles have not one but two different ways of sensing the Earth’s magnetic field. “The turtles can sense the magnetic ‘flavor’ of a location... Precisely how they do this is still a mystery, but two distinct mechanisms might be involved,”says Henry Gee, a senior editor at Nature.
“Our results demonstrate that an animal can learn the natural magnetic signatures of geographical areas, thus corroborating a foundational premise of goal navigation with magnetic maps.”
See also the accompanying briefing: “Sea turtles use magnetic ‘map’ and ‘compass’ to navigate the ocean.”
