What will happen to animals and insects that use the Earth’s magnetic field when the poles reverse?
In: Biology
Pole reversals take a long time, much longer than the lifespans of these animals. Additionally, animals that use magnetic force tend to use it as a reference rather than simply being attracted to a particular direction, and use it as one of many cues. So for example, a bird that wants to make sure it continues in the same direction even when visibility is poor can use its magnetic sense to make sure it stays pointed the same way. And birds learn which way leads where when learning their migrations. But as long as the magnetic field doesn’t shift much from year to year, they won’t have a big problem.
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