Dogs and Earth’s Magnetic Field:Dogs Align Themselves to Earth’s Magnetic Field When Pooping
Dogs are sensitive creatures, so sensitive they may be excreting in line with the Earth’s magnetic field. It’s no secret that dogs have a superior sense of smell, but their talents seemingly don’t end there. Recent studies suggest that they’re able to navigate unfamiliar terrain and find shortcuts back by using more than their noses but actually using the Earth’s magnetic field. The saying that “dogs always find their way back home,” may not just be a saying any more thanks to their ability to perceive the magnetic field!
We know that dogs have incredible senses. Their noses are 10,000x more powerful than ours, they can see well in their dark, and they can even sense an impending storm. The Earth has a special magnetic field that is all around us all the time, and dogs and other primates have the amazing ability to see and sense these fields – it is called magnetoreception.
Although science is not completely certain all animals have this ability, there is a lot of research that suggests dogs indeed have the ability to sense and see these invisible magnetic fields around the Earth.
Dogs Have an Internal Compass
Do dogs sense direction with their vision, smell, or something else entirely? Multiple studies provide evidence that a different mechanism may allow dogs to return to their starting point: magnetoreception, or the ability to sense the Earth’s magnetic field and use it as a compass. This incredible ability is almost as unbelievable as the powers of Haley Joel Osment’s character in The Sixth Sense. But it’s true. Dogs actually sync up with the Earth’s magnetic field to orient their sense of direction.
A scientific study has revealed that dogs adapt their excremental habits to align with the planet’s geomagnetic field. Here’s how they worked it out. According to researchers from the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, the pooch might be aiming to poop along a north-south axis that lines up with the Earth’s magnetic field.
Dogs use the Earth’s magnetic field when they’re relieving themselves. Not only that, but canines choose to do so in a north-south axis, a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Zoology says.
The study suggests that dogs are sensitive to small variations in Earth’s magnetic field. After examining 70 dogs — made up of 37 breeds — over two years, 1,893 defecations and 5,582 urinations, researchers found that under “calm magnetic field conditions,” dogs preferred to “excrete with the body being aligned along the north-south axis,” avoiding east-west altogether. Dogs were observed in a free-roaming environment, meaning they were not leashed and not influenced by walls or roads that would influence linear movement.
Every dog owner knows how seriously their pet takes the decision of where to do its business. First it will pace in circles, nose to the ground, searching intently for the perfect spot. Once selected, there are another few turns and a shimmy until, finally, it is ready to commit. If you’ve ever wondered what’s going through a dog’s mind as it does this, the answer could be something like the spinning of a compass needle. Dogs prefer to defecate with their spine aligned in a north-south position, and they use Earth’s magnetic field to help them position themselves.
It has long been suspected that animals such as turtles and birds use magnetoreception to navigate, but it is becoming increasingly obvious that many other animals sense magnetism too, seemingly when they’re doing very little. Insects like to align their bodies along a north-south axis, as do sleeping warthogs, fish in tanks, nesting house mice and foxes on the hunt. So how are they are doing it and, more head-scratchingly, why?
The perception of the Earth’s magnetic field is used by many animal species for orientation and navigation. A magnetic sense is found in some insects, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals, whereas humans do not appear to be able to perceive the Earth’s magnetic field.
The magnetic sense in migratory birds has been studied in considerable detail: unlike a boy scout’s compass, which shows the compass direction, a bird’s compass recognizes the inclination of the magnetic field lines relative to the Earth’s surface. Surprisingly, this inclination compass in birds is linked to the visual system as the magnetic field activates the light-sensitive molecule cryptochrome 1a in the retina of the bird’s eye. Cryptochrome 1a is located in the blue- to UV-sensitive cone photoreceptors and only reacts to the magnetic field if it is simultaneously excited by light.
Why do the dogs prefer the north-south axis and avoid east-west? That was unclear, according to the study:
It is still enigmatic why the dogs do align at all, whether they do it “consciously” (i.e., whether the magnetic field is sensorial perceived (the dogs “see”, “hear” or “smell” the compass direction or perceive it as a haptic stimulus) or whether its reception is controlled on the vegetative level (they “feel better/more comfortable or worse/less comfortable” in a certain direction).
This ability, called magnetoreception, is common in many animals, including some whale species, dolphins and sea turtles, among others. Now, a new study carried out in the Czech Republic and detailed in the journal eLife, suggests adding at least some hunting dogs to this list.
“This ‘sense’ is beyond our own human perception and it is, therefore, very hard to understand its meaning for animals.For years, scientists have known that several species spontaneously align their bodies with the earth’s magnetic field when engaging in certain behaviours.
Now, a team of 12 scientists from universities in Germany and the Czech Republic have come together in a unique study that observed 37 breeds of dog over a two-year period.
Exactly 1,893 defecations and 5,582 urinations later, the team reach one incredible finding: “dogs preferred to excrete with the body being aligned along the north–south axis”.
Before you grab your schnauzer and a clipboard, here’s how the scientists work it out.
Method
In open fields, away from manmade structures and off the leash, the alignment of dogs’ spines was recorded using a hand-held compass.
An image taken from the published study Photograph: Hart et al Photograph: Hart et al
The breed of the dog, its sex, age, body mass and condition were recorded as well as the date, time and location.
We’ve included a sample of the male dogs’ behaviour here. It’s impossible to say what was wrong with M07.
The researchers then monitored the proportion of those urinations and defecations that were aligned with the earth’s north-south axis.
If you don’t understand the graphic, it may be that you need to get yourself a PhD. Photograph: /Hart et al Photograph: Hart et al
Results
Dogs join cattle, roe deer, red deer, hunting red foxes, red foxes, coyotes and grey wolves as yet another mammal to have a mechanism of “magnetoreception”.
Although their altered behaviour was only evident under calm conditions, it’s still a breakthrough in demonstrating measurable, predictable changes in dog behaviour in response to the earth’s magnetic field.
Dogs Are Tuning Into Magnetic Fields
In one study, researchers reviewed how sensitive dogs are to minor variations of the Earth’s magnetic field and demonstrated that dogs can sense and respond to magnetic fields. Researchers found a measurable change in the dogs’ behavior based on the conditions of the magnetic field.
Specifically, they found that dogs choose to pee and poop under certain conditions with their bodies aligned along the north-south axis and avoided orientation along the east-west axis. They studied 70 dogs from 37 different breeds over a two-year period, observing 1893 defecations and 5582 urinations. Observations were all made while the dogs were off-leash and in open fields so that they were not influenced by walls, fences, fire hydrants, or other objects.
The researchers collected data on dog directionality and found that the way dogs face is not just a matter of chance. They ruled out such factors as time of day, angle of the sun, and wind conditions. Their analysis found that the Earth’s magnetic field explained dogs’ orientation when doing their business.
Interestingly, the pattern only emerged when the magnetic field was stable, which was only about 30 percent of the time. The Earth’s magnetic field can become unstable due to such factors as the variation in solar winds and the sun’s magnetic field. During such periods of instability, dogs did not show a preference for aligning themselves along the north-south axis and were oriented randomly.
Dogs Have an Internal Compass
Previous studies have found that cattle, deer, and foxes sometimes align their bodies with respect to the magnetic field. Sensitivity to the Earth’s magnetic field has previously been demonstrated in species that migrate, such as birds and whales, and also in honey bees, whose navigational abilities are legendary.
Of course, people have long asserted that dogs can find their way exceptionally well. It was, in part, dogs’ remarkable homing abilities that made the researchers suspect that dogs might be sensitive to the Earth’s magnetic field in the first place.
So, the revelation that dogs are able to sense the Earth’s magnetic field and that their behavior is influenced by it is outstanding. It has been known for a long time that dog senses, particularly the sense of smell, mean that they are responsive to stimuli that we humans aren’t aware of, but the fact that dogs can act, in some manner, as though they have an internal compass is just as fascinating.
Another published study may explain how dogs are able to sense the magnetic field. Researchers found that dog eyes contain cryptochrome 1, a light-sensitive molecule that reacts to the magnetic field when simultaneously stimulated by light.
This molecule plays a role in the navigational abilities of birds, allowing them to sense the magnetic field through the activation of the visual system. (Birds also detect the magnetic field through cellular-level ferrous particles, called magnetite, as do mole rats, who live underground.) In mammals, cryptochrome 1 has been found in only two of the 18 orders of mammals — carnivores (including canines but excluding felines) and primates (including orangutans).
Dogs’ Sense of Direction
Another piece of research reveals a way that being able to sense the Earth’s magnetic field influences dogs’ behavior. In this study, the researchers chose to focus on hunting dogs because they are generally considered to have amazing homing abilities. They outfitted 27 hunting dogs of 10 breeds with GPS trackers and collected data from a total of 622 daylight excursions in 62 locations. The dogs’ trips lasted 30 to 90 minutes and were undertaken in forested areas away from buildings, power lines, and roads. The paths they took out and back were the subject of the study.
Many dogs followed their own scent back to the starting point using a method called “tracking,” which was observed in 399 returns. But in 233 excursions, dogs returned to the starting point via a novel route called “scouting.” In 50 cases, dogs combined both strategies in a single return route.
A majority of the dogs who returned by scouting began with a short run (about 20 meters/65 feet) along the Earth’s north-south axis; they did this no matter what direction they needed to go in order to return to the starting point. The researchers hypothesized that the dogs perform this initial “compass run” to get their bearings.
Though scouting dogs’ routes were far more likely to begin along a north-south axis, for tracking dogs, the direction of the start of the return route was random. Another difference was that the scouting dogs returned to their pet parents faster than the tracking dogs. Gender and breed did not influence the likelihood of employing scouting versus a tracking strategy, nor did wind or sun.
Activity along the north-south alignment of the compass axis is observed in many animals. Such behavior allows animals to access a universal reference frame that is so useful for navigation. Despite dogs showing some of the same abilities and mechanisms as migrating birds, marine mammals, and sea turtles, there is still so much more to explore about a dog’s sense of direction. What we do know so far is that they have their own internal compasses, just as people have been saying for ages.
Signs of a Dog Seeing and Sensing Earth’s Magnetic Field
Believe it or not, dogs show very clear signs when they can see and sense the Earth’s magnetic field. You may think you would not be able to tell, or that your dog may not react to it at all, but the complete opposite is true. One of the easiest ways you can tell your dog can see these magnetic fields is when they are going to the bathroom outside.
When scientists first started observing the behaviors of 70 dogs when going to the bathroom, they did not see any pattern of behavior to indicate the magnetic field has anything to do with bathroom habits. However, when they began to look at other factors like position of the sun, time of day, the direction of the wind, etc., this is when they found Earth’s magnetic field and a dog’s ability to sense this, was revealed.
When the magnetic fields are calm, dogs will go potty facing the North or South. Therefore, when you take your dog potty, watch their behavior before they go to the bathroom. Your dog will likely run around, pace, prance, sniff the ground and/or the air, stand in the wind, and move around a lot searching for the perfect place to pee or poo. The reason they are doing this is likely due to the magnetic fields they are able to see and sense.
Body Language
These are some signs you may notice when your dog sees/senses Earth’s magnetic field:
- Staring
- Alert
- Head Tilting
- Pacing
- Sniffing
- Spinning
History of Dogs Seeing Earth’s Magnetic Field
We have known for a long time that animals such as birds and bats are able to navigate around the Earth so effectively because they can accurately sense the Earth’s magnetic fields. Up until relatively recently, magnetoreception has never been studied in primates and other mammals. This new research has begun to confirm that it is likely dogs are able to sense Earth’s magnetic field, but may not as precisely and sharply as birds can when they are migrating to the south for the winters.
There are numerous stories about dogs traveling very long distances to find their owners and their homes when they have gotten lost. It is been a mystery for many years how dogs are able to travel hundreds of miles to find their homes after getting lost.
Questions like how dogs knew what direction to go, how they knew they were going to the right place, and how they were able to stay on the track were a mystery. But these recent studies suggest it may have been due to the dog’s ability to sense Earth’s magnetic field and that the dogs were able to know which direction they were moving so they could find their homes.
Science Behind Dogs Seeing Earth’s Magnetic Field
Now that we know it is likely dogs and other mammals are able to see Earth’s magnetic fields, how are they actually able to do this? The answer lies in a special molecule found in the dog’s eyes. Cryptochromes are molecules that are sensitive to light and can be found in animals, plants, and bacteria.
When we look at animals, these molecules play a role in the aminal’s circadian functions. Cryptochrome 1a is the element found in birds that gives them their ability to sharply sense the magnetic fields on earth. Research now shows that dogs have cryptochrome 1a as well and this is what makes it likely dogs can see these invisible magnetic fields. This special molecule gives the animal the ability to effectively navigate and orient themselves in whatever location they are in.
Cryptochrome 1a is found in the retina of the dog’s eye and is related to the dog’s sight in how they are able to sense magnetic fields. Scientists believe that cryptochrome 1a is activated by Earth’s magnetic fields, which in return allows dogs to see and sense the invisible magnetic fields. This reaction involves a lot of quantum mechanics and complicated scientific material!
Compiled & Shared by- Team, LITD (Livestock Institute of Training & Development)
Image-Courtesy-Google
Reference-On Request.
