Dogs may sense Earth's magnetic field and use it like a compass

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Joel Kontinen

Have you ever seen the movie “Lassie Come Home," that is, about a dog who can travel long distances Now, scientist in the Czech Republic have done a study on hunting dogs, they use the Earth’s magnetic field  magnetic field and use it as a compass.

 “This ability, called magnetoreception, is common in many animals, including some whale species, dolphins and sea turtles, among others. Now, a new study carried out in the Czech Republic and detailed in the journal eLife, suggests adding at least some hunting dogs to this list.”

 "This 'sense' is beyond our own human perception and it is, therefore, very hard to understand its meaning for animals," study researcher Kateřina Benediktová, at Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, said. Benediktová is a graduate student in the lab of Hynek Burda, another study author.” 

In the study, Benediktová and her colleagues “equipped 27 hunting dogs of 10 different breeds, including fox terriers and miniature dachshunds, with GPS trackers. These dogs were allowed to roam in forested areas away from buildings, roads and powerlines. Dogs ran individually and returned on their own. Trips took between 30 and 90 minutes. Owners hid close to the location where the dog was released. The GPS data, from a total of 622 excursions in 62 different locations in the Czech Republic, were then compiled and analysed.”

Source:

Lincoln Diane. 2020. Dogs may sense Earth's magnetic field and use it like a compass.  Life Science 3 August