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

Marine policy specialist Bryan Keller holding a bonnethead shark (Bryan Keller via AP)

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 confirmed long-held speculation that sharks use magnetic fields as aids to navigation — behaviour observed in other marine animals such as sea turtles.