Sharks use Earth’s magnetic field as a GPS, scientists say

A file photo taken on the North Edisto River in South Carolina shows Keller holding a bonnethead shark. Keller is among a group of scientists that found sharks use the Earth’s magnetic field as a sort of natural GPS when they navigate journeys that take them thousands of miles across the world’s oceans. — Courtesy of Bryan Keller via AP

PORTLAND, Maine: Sharks use the Earth’s magnetic field as a sort of natural GPS to navigate journeys that take them great distances across the world’s oceans, scientists have found.

Researchers said their marine laboratory experiments with a small species of shark confirm long-held speculation that sharks use magnetic fields as aids to navigation – behaviour observed in other marine animals such as sea turtles.