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Sharks use Earth’s magnetic field as ‘GPS’ guide: study
The Guardian, MIAMI, Florida
Scientists in Florida have concluded that sharks possess an internal navigation system similar to GPS that allows them to use Earth’s magnetic forces to travel long distances with accuracy.
The researchers from Florida State University made the discovery by subjecting 20 bonnethead sharks, part of the hammerhead family, to “magnetic displacement” exercises that replicated geographical locations hundreds of kilometers from where they were captured.
When the sharks were exposed to magnetic cues emulating a site about 600km south of where they were captured, they turned to swim north, exhibiting a “homeward orientation” suggesting the use of magnetic forces in their navigation, said Bryan Keller, the lead author of the study.
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.