Most insects have no trouble moving around when the moon is bright, but darker nights can make nighttime navigation a bit more difficult. African dung beetles, however, have apparently found a workaround — the Milky Way. A recent study from researchers in Sweden and South Africa found that on moonless nights, dung beetles use the stars to help orient themselves, a rather surprising tactic for a creature that spends so much time with its nose to the ground. In fact, scientists say these findings are the first evidence of any insect having celestial navigation capabilities.
Researchers made this discovery after examining the different ways in which the beetles push their balls of dung. Under normal conditions, the insects store their...
via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/2/1/3940208/study-says-dung-beetles-use-stars-to-navigate
No comments:
Post a Comment