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A Two-Year-Long Study On Red Fox Hunting Behavior Revealed That These Mammals Can Sense The Earth’s Magnetic Field And Use It To Track Down Prey, Making Them The First Known Animal To Use It For Hunting

by Emily Chan March 27, 2024, 1:00 pm

Many animals use the magnetic field to judge direction. While grazing, cows and deer will align themselves with magnetic north. It has also been proven that birds, sharks, and lobsters can perceive the magnetic field.

Most of the time, the magnetic field helps animals with navigation. Red foxes are the first animal known to possibly use it for hunting.

The researchers believe that the magnetic field tells a fox how far away its prey is when it isn’t in sight. During the hunt, the angle of noise coming from the prey will meet the slope of the magnetic field.

At that point, the fox is a fixed distance away. That’s when it can launch its attack, landing right on top of the prey.

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A Two-Year-Long Study On Red Fox Hunting Behavior Revealed That These Mammals Can Sense The Earth’s Magnetic Field And Use It To Track Down Prey, Making Them The First Known Animal To Use It For Hunting

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