Indian and Polynesian sailors have historically been guided by lodestars to find their way at sea. But research shows that harbour seals have been doing it much before humans attempted it. Harbour seals are marine mammals. They live along the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere, and hunt for food at night. Obviously, in the dark, they cannot follow the landmarks that are visible on land.
In 2006, German and Danish scientists placed two harbours seals – named Nick and Malte – in a specially constructed floating planetarium. The team trained the two to swim in the direction of specific lodestars. They discovered that the animals could identify a single star out of a projection of the Northern Hemisphere night sky. This showed that the seals followed specific lodestars as navigational aids when they swam far from the shore. Remember, this was an experiment. So do the seals in the wild navigate by following individual stars? Researchers believe they do. Star-based navigation enables the seals to efficiently search an area for food.
Picture Credit : Google