Magnetic alignment enhances homing efficiency of hunting dogs.
Elife
; 92020 06 16.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32539933
ABSTRACT
Despite anecdotal reports of the astonishing homing abilities in dogs, their homing strategies are not fully understood. We equipped 27 hunting dogs with GPS collars and action cams, let them freely roam in forested areas, and analyzed components of homing in over 600 trials. When returning to the owner (homewards), dogs either followed their outbound track ('tracking') or used a novel route ('scouting'). The inbound track during scouting started mostly with a short (about 20 m) run along the north-south geomagnetic axis, irrespective of the actual direction homewards. Performing such a 'compass run' significantly increased homing efficiency. We propose that this run is instrumental for bringing the mental map into register with the magnetic compass and to establish the heading of the animal.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Orientation
/
Magnetic Phenomena
/
Working Dogs
/
Homing Behavior
Limits:
Animals
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Elife
Year:
2020
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Czech Republic