Book 21, Question 126
How Do Sea Turtles Use Earth’s Magnet to Find Their Way?
A baby sea turtle hatches on a beach, swims out to sea, and years later returns to lay its eggs on the very same beach. How does it find its way across a huge ocean? It may use Earth's magnetic field as a map!
More fun facts
- Loggerhead sea turtles hatch on beaches and then spend years traveling the ocean.
- Later, they return to the very beach where they were born to lay eggs.
- Each stretch of coast has its own magnetic signature.
- The turtles remember that signature and use it to find home.
- Young loggerheads even do an excited dance when they sense the magnetic signature of a place where they found food.
Sources: National Geographic, Scientific American
Questions kids ask
What is a magnetic signature?
It is the special mix of magnetic field features at a place. Each part of a coastline has its own.