Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Science

Nocturnal ants use lunar compass and sophisticated calculations to travel at night

It's well known that many animals, including migratory birds, butterflies, and even fish, use the sun for navigational purposes. Nocturnal animals are dealt a more difficult hand, however, as the moon's path is far more variable. But a new study, published in Current Biology, has shown that nocturna...

Nocturnal ants use lunar compass and sophisticated calculations to travel at night
Image: Phys.org
It's well known that many animals, including migratory birds, butterflies, and even fish, use the sun for navigational purposes. Nocturnal animals are dealt a more difficult hand, however, as the moon's path is far more variable. But a new study, published in Current Biology, has shown that nocturnal bull ants (Myrmecia midas) not only use the moon as a compass, but are also capable of accounting for speed variations in its movement.

Originally published at Phys.org

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