How Dung Beetles Steer Straight

Distant and predictable features in the environment make ideal compass cues to allow movement along a straight path. Ball-rolling dung beetles use a wide range of different signals in the day or night sky to steer themselves along a fixed bearing. These include the sun, the Milky Way, and the polari...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annual review of entomology 2021-01, Vol.66 (1), p.243-256
Main Authors: Dacke, Marie, Baird, Emily, el Jundi, Basil, Warrant, Eric J, Byrne, Marcus
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biologi
Biological Sciences
Brain - physiology
celestial
central complex
Coleoptera - physiology
compass
dung beetle
Natural Sciences
Naturvetenskap
navigation
orientation
Orientation, Spatial
Spatial Navigation
Zoologi
Zoology
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Summary:Distant and predictable features in the environment make ideal compass cues to allow movement along a straight path. Ball-rolling dung beetles use a wide range of different signals in the day or night sky to steer themselves along a fixed bearing. These include the sun, the Milky Way, and the polarization pattern generated by the moon. Almost two decades of research into these remarkable creatures have shown that the dung beetle's compass is flexible and readily adapts to the cues available in its current surroundings. In the morning and afternoon, dung beetles use the sun to orient, but at midday, they prefer to use the wind, and at night or in a forest, they rely primarily on polarized skylight to maintain straight paths. We are just starting to understand the neuronal substrate underlying the dung beetle's compass and the mystery of why these beetles start each journey with a dance.
ISSN:0066-4170
1545-4487
1545-4487
DOI:10.1146/annurev-ento-042020-102149