Ever wonder why sharks have been found traveling over 2,000 miles away from the coast where they were born? Or why are they attracted to the poles due to a magnetic field? A new study has discovered that sharks use the Earth’s magnetic field to navigate.
Sharks and their Compass Sense
Sharks are normally finicky fish that tend to shy away from bright lights and loud noises, which makes them an odd lot to find near the magnetic poles. However, a recent study has found that the fish are able to find their way back to their natural habitat by sensing the Earth’s magnetic field. The bottom of the ocean is an unfathomably dark place. In fact, it is so dark and murky that the only animal you can see there is very faint, almost invisible, and that is the shark. One of the key ways sharks navigate is by using the Earth’s magnetic field as a kind of “compass.”
Until recently, there was no evidence that sharks use the Earth’s magnetic field as a compass to find food. But a new study that was published offers the first direct evidence of this. Researchers found magnetic microfossils in the jaw of a sand tiger shark, and the area where the fossils were found was the same place the shark’s barbs and teeth were located. Furthermore, claw markings on the fossils found in the same area were located at the same magnetic field strength as the magnetic microfossils.
If you can believe it, sharks have been able to use the Earth’s magnetic field as a compass for over a hundred million years. In fact, about 70% of all shark species use their sense of smell to detect magnetic fields, while the remainder uses their eyesight or other types of sense (like electrical sensors).
How Does the Shark Use the Magnetic Field as a Compass?
The geomagnetic field can be used to help guide fish to various parts of the ocean. Fish in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are able to use the Earth’s magnetic field as a compass. To do this, they swim in a direction that takes them to the closest edge of the magnetic field to the middle of the Earth. The fish can then sense the direction in which the Earth’s magnetic field is pointing using its sensory organs, such as its lateral line system.
Animal magnetism is a term used to describe animals that are able to sense and respond to Earth’s magnetic field. There are a number of instances where animals are known to be able to sense magnetic fields. These include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology, which uses magnetic fields to produce images of internal organs. These images are not only useful for medical purposes, but they can also tell us about the magnetic field of the Earth.
Knowing More About Earth’s Field Magnetic Field
The Earth’s magnetic field is one of the most well-known and easily observed of all the environmental phenomena. It plays an important part in almost all of our lives, from the navigation of aircraft to the way we build our homes and power plants. If you’ve ever wondered about the importance of the Earth’s magnetic field, you’ll be interested to learn that dozens of animals use the Earth’s field to navigate.
Where Is The Source Of This Magnetic Field?
Scientists have discovered the source of Earth’s magnetic field. If you’ve ever been to the beach, you know that the sun throws off a powerful field, which is why you can see the compass needle swing when you hold your hand over the sand. Scientists have long puzzled over how this field comes to be. Now, scientists have found the source of this magnetic field in our planet’s outer core, which is made up of liquid iron.
The magnetic field is generated in the outer core by a very strong current that flows through the liquid iron. The current is generated by the Earth’s rotation, which causes the liquid in the outer core to rotate. The current spins the liquid causing it to rotate faster and faster.
The thought of the ocean’s depths is scary to most humans, but for sharks, deep blue waters are home. In fact, the ocean’s abyss is one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth, teeming with sea life. But what is really fascinating about the ocean’s deep is that it is one of the few places in the world where our planet’s magnetic field is still active. The magnetic field is essentially the Earth’s protective blanket that protects the atmosphere we live in from the solar winds and cosmic rays that would otherwise damage our planet.
