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Studies reveal that sea turtles use the Earth's magnetic field to orient themselves and exhibit dance-like movements during the process.
Sea turtles, known for their long ocean migrations, have surprised scientists with some curious behavior: they dance to orient themselves in the ocean. A new study published in the journal Nature revealed that these animals can use the Earth's magnetic field to create mental maps of locations documents, such as feeding and nesting points.
The research was led by Kayla Goforth of the University of North Carolina and presented direct evidence of this unprecedented behavior.
According to the researcher, it was already known that turtles used the magnetic field as a compass, but the study showed that they are also capable of memorizing magnetic signatures of geographic areas.
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The power to perceive the Earth's magnetic field
Magnetoreception is the ability to perceive the Earth's magnetic field. This phenomenon has been observed in birds, salmon and lobsters.
However, this was the first time that it was found that turtles can learn and remember this information.
Scientists already knew that turtles used this information as an internal compass. Now, they've discovered that they also create a mental map based on the magnetic signatures of certain regions.
This means that these animals not only follow a fixed direction, but they know exactly where they are and where they need to go.
The curious experiment
To test this ability, researchers placed young loggerhead turtles in a tank surrounded by magnetic coils.
For two months, the tank's magnetic field was changed daily, simulating different regions of the Atlantic Ocean. However, the turtles were only fed when the field indicated a specific area.
Over time, the turtles learned to associate the magnetic field at that location with food. When the corresponding field was activated, they would begin swimming in circles, opening their mouths and thrashing about in the water, in a behavior that scientists have dubbed the “turtle dance.”
Four months later, when the researchers repeated the test, they observed that the turtles continued to dance in the same magnetic field. This indicated that they had memorized the magnetic signature of the location, demonstrating their ability to create mental maps.
Mystery still unsolved
Despite the discoveries, the exact mechanism of this ability remains a mystery. One of the most accepted hypotheses is that turtles detect magnetic changes through light-sensitive chemical reactions.
However, tests with radiofrequency fields, which should interfere with this process, did not affect the turtles' behavior.
On the other hand, similar experiments with the internal compass of these animals showed that radio frequencies were able to disorient them. This suggests that the map sense and the compass sense use different mechanisms.
Implications for science
This discovery could have important implications for understanding other migratory animals, such as birds and amphibians.
Future studies will seek to unravel the details of this mechanism and how it impacts turtles’ ocean journeys.
For now, here's a curious note: sea turtles, in addition to their impressive transoceanic journeys, also dance when they need to find the right path in the vast ocean.
Study published in the journal Nature.
