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Sensory
Magnetoreception in Fish
The ability of some fish to detect and navigate by Earth's magnetic field - documented in salmon, eels, and sea turtles.
System: Nervous Level: Advanced Discipline: Physiology
📖 Overview
Salmon returning to natal streams may use magnetic field lines as backup navigation when visual and chemical cues fail. European eels crossing the Atlantic to spawn in the Sargasso Sea appear to use magnetic navigation. The exact receptor mechanism remains debated - magnetite crystals in the head, cryptochrome proteins in the retina, or both.
✨ Fun Fact
Displaced salmon fry can navigate back to their natal river even when eyes are blocked - a result attributed to inherited magnetic map information imprinted at emergence.
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