Thursday, January 13, 2011

Foxes Use Earth's Magnetic Field To Hunt Prey, Scientists Say | Popular Science

Foxes Use Earth's Magnetic Field To Hunt Prey, Scientists Say | Popular Science: "Burda and John Phillips at Virginia Tech think foxes are using a ring of shadow on their retinas, which is darkest toward magnetic north, to ensure they jump the same distance every time.
Many animals use the magnetic field to sense direction — the brains of birds, fish, humans and other creatures contain magnetite crystals, which help with navigation. Birds and amphibians have a second light-dependent navigation sense, and researchers think it might provide a “spherical coordinate system” that produces a pattern of light intensity superimposed on their surroundings, like an augmented reality system."

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