Scientists Say Sharks Use Earth's Magnetic Field For Navigation

Illustration (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Sharks are known as fierce apex predators and have something quite interesting. Scientists have found evidence that sharks rely on Earth's magnetic field to travel long distances across oceans.

In fact, this is not the first time marine animals have done this. There are also sea turtles that have long been known to rely on magnetic markings to navigate thousands of miles to the coast where they are hatched.

However, until now the scientist said it was not known how the sharks managed to navigate during their successful migration to their target location.

Quoting Slashgear, Sunday, May 9, the research, published in the journal Current Biology on May 6, 2021, supports the theory that sharks use Earth's magnetic field to guide their way. Scientists have learned that several shark species migrate long distances every year to specific locations on the planet.

They also identified sharks as sensitive to electromagnetic fields. Now, scientists are facing the challenge of finding a way to test the shark theory.

Scientists on the project stated the reason why the question has been a mystery for more than five decades is because sharks are difficult to study. The team used a smaller shark species known to return to specific locations called the bonnethead (Sphyrna tiburo).

Sharks migrate to the same estuary every year, indicating that they know where to navigate from remote locations. The researchers used a magnetic displacement experiment to test 20 juvenile bonnethead sharks caught in the wild.

They exposed the sharks to magnetic conditions that represented locations hundreds of kilometers from where they were caught. Researchers estimate a north orientation in the south magnetic field and a south orientation in the north magnetic field.

No orientation preference is expected when sharks are exposed to a magnetic field that matches their fishing location. In addition, sharks act exactly as they predict when exposed to fields within their natural range.

The researchers say the study shows sharks have the ability to navigate based on magnetic fields, and that this field could contribute to the structure of shark populations.