Sharks have been swimming the oceans for hundreds of millions of years, yet for decades a simple question about them went unanswered: how do they find their way home over hundreds of miles of open water with no visible landmarks? According to a study published in the journal Current Biology, bonnethead sharks use Earth’s magnetic field as a built-in map. The study titled ‘Map-like use of Earth’s magnetic field in sharks,’ led by shark biologist Bryan Keller, provided strong evidence that sharks can sense magnetic cues well enough to navigate home from a distance.
Why smell was ruled out
