Navigation - Bat orientation using Earth's magnetic field
Navigation - Bat orientation using Earth's magnetic field
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DOI：
10.1038/444702a
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发表时间：
2006-12-07
期刊：
影响因子：
64.8
通讯作者：
Wikelski, Martin
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Holland, Richard A.;Thorup, Kasper;Wikelski, Martin
蝙蝠在夜间通过回声定位来确定方向是出了名的，但这只在很短的范围内起作用，人们对它们如何在更长的距离内导航知之甚少。在这里，我们展示了大棕蝠的归巢行为，可以通过人为地改变地球磁场来改变，这表明这些蝙蝠依靠磁罗盘返回它们的家园。这一发现增加了这种动物在黑暗中导航的一系列令人印象深刻的感官能力。
Bats famously orientate at night by echolocation, but this works over only a short range, and little is known about how they navigate over longer distances. Here we show that the homing behaviour ofEptesicus fuscus, known as the big brown bat, can be altered by artificially shifting the Earth's magnetic field, indicating that these bats rely on a magnetic compass to return to their home roost. This finding adds to the impressive array of sensory abilities possessed by this animal for navigation in the dark.