Aside from being terrifying, sharks are also mysterious — which makes them arguably more terrifying, one might argue. Among the mysteries of sharks are their abilities to navigate, including certain species’ practice of making annual trips to remote parts of the ocean. Given that sharks do not use GPS or smartphones to make their way there and back (at least not that we know of), this begs the question: how do they pull it off?
New research indicates a geologically fascinating answer to that question. Specifically, that sharks can sense the planet’s magnetic fields and navigate accordingly. That’s right — sharks don’t necessarily use GPS because they are GPS. Except in this case, imagine a GPS system that could eat you.
Or maybe don’t imagine that, because it’s utterly terrifying.
At Smithsonian Magazine, Alex Fox has more details on the latest findings on sharks and their travels. The article cites a recent study published in Current Biology, describing how scientists simulated magnetic fields in a controlled environment and were able to redirect a number of bonnethead sharks accordingly.
It doesn’t necessarily confirm that sharks have this ability, but it is one more piece of evidence strongly favoring it. And it’s a fascinating addition to what humans know about sharks — as well as a reminder of all that remains mysterious about them.
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