Sharks use the Earth’s magnetic field as a sort of natural GPS to navigate journeys that take them great distances across the world’s oceans, scientists have found.
Researchers said their marine laboratory experiments with a small species of shark confirmed long-held speculation that sharks use magnetic fields as aids to navigation — behaviour observed in other marine animals such as sea turtles.
Their study, published in the journal Current Biology, also shed light on why sharks are able to traverse seas and find their way back to feed, breed and give birth, one of the study authors said.
“We know that sharks can respond to magnetic fields,” marine policy specialist Bryan Keller said.