T of L: Finding the Way

Question 1

For Cataglyphis ants:
1. Where do they live (environment)?
2. When do they travel?
3. What do they do when they leave the nest to ensure safe return?

Answer 1

1. Sahara with extreme temperatures.
2. During the day in that fucking heat!!!
3. They periodically turn to face the sun and note polarized light patterns relative to the nest. They also measure the distance traveled. When they return, they can ‘find’ the shortest route.

Question 2

For honeybees:
1. How long does the waggle dance last?
2. How does the length of time potentially affect the accuracy of the directions?

Answer 2

1. Possibly hours!
2. As the earth rotates, the waggle run is adjusted to match the sun’s position relative to the food!!!!!

Question 3

For spiny lobsters:
1. What causes the lobster run?
2. How do they defend themselves?
3. Where do they go?
4. What is the significance of the formation?

Answer 3

1. Stormy weather during summer and fall (they prefer clear water).
2. They use their spines cooperatively to block predators.
3. Deeper ocean water where it’s clearer.
4. They can cut through currents (plus collective defense and dilution effect).

Question 4

For arctic terns:
1. Where do they migrate to / from?
2. What do they use to migrate?

Answer 4

1. To and from the arctic and antarctic to more sunlight!!! Breeding grounds are arctic.
2. They use compass sense (sun, stars, magnetic poles) and map sense (infrasonic, visual, magnetic map, etc).

Question 5

For royal albatross:
1. What’s the significance of their migratory route and where they’re headed?
2. What do they use to migrate?

Answer 5

1. Migrate over featureless open ocean and find a tiny, secluded island!
2. They likely use compass sense (sun / stars / poles).

Question 6

For eels:
1. How do some sp. ‘see’?
2. For baby eels, where do they hatch, and where do they go?
3. How do eels (babies and adults) find their way?

Answer 6

1. use electrolocation
2. European eels hatch in W. Indies and trek across the ocean and up waterfalls to fresh water in northern Europe (Ireland) where they spend most adult life. Adults trek back even through land to lay eggs in W. Indies.
3. Unknown, but likely compass sense that includes non-visual cues.