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Posted on 01/24/2014 8:30:35 AM PST by fishtank
Do Foxes Have Magnetic Senses?
by Brian Thomas, M.S. *
During winter, red foxes hunt snow-covered mice without even seeing their prey—but how? Certainly, hearing plays a crucial role, but researchers from the Czech Republic and Germany found that European foxes pounce on mice much more successfully when facing north, leading them to suggest a more magnetic answer. Foxes may see more than what visible light reveals.
The red fox find its prey—often buried as deep as three feet beneath the snow—not only when it faces north, but also when it faces the earth’s magnetic south pole. The fox first pauses, tilting its head to gather minute sounds and sensations. It then takes a bounding leap and plunges, paws and nose first, straight down. It emerges with a mouse in its mouth an astounding 74 percent of the time when it attacks “about 20º clockwise of magnetic north,” according to a 2011 technical report in Biology Letters.1
A recent NPR blog discussed the fox’s winter hunting capabilities and included a link to a video clip of the fox in action.2
Attacks made when the foxes faced east or west returned a dismal 18 or fewer percent success rate, making a clear case for foxes’ geomagnetic sensory capabilities.
So far, nobody has discovered the specific organ, or combination of organs, responsible for the foxes’ acute sensory capability. The study authors suggested that it might be like the magnetite-based detectors that mole rats use to navigate underground. Or, it could be like some birds that have retinal cells tuned to detect electromagnetic current instead of light. If so, then the foxes might be able to triangulate the distance and direction to their prey by overlaying sensory data from sound, light, and electromagnetism.
The study authors described how this three-dimensional targeting system might work:
A fox moving in a fixed direction when approaching its prey (i.e. moving to the north), could approach until a specific component of the visual pattern generated by the magnetic compass is superimposed on the source of the sound from the prey, so that it could initiate an attack from a fixed distance.1
Where could a well-integrated and effective system such as this come from? The researchers wrote in Biology Letters, “Foxes may have evolved a different solution to this problem” of localizing prey without the advantage of sight.1 But no evidence supports the claim that foxes or environments or any combination of natural forces ever could invent a microscopic geomagnetic detector designed to solve hunting problems—or any other problems. Real solutions come from intelligent problem-solvers, so why would the foxes’ solution not also have been invented by specific intent?
References
Cerveny, J. et al. 2011. Directional preference may enhance hunting accuracy in foraging foxes. Biology Letters. 7 (3): 355-357.
Krulwich, R. ‘You’re Invisible, But I'll Eat You Anyway.’ Secrets Of Snow-Diving Foxes. NPR. Posted on npr.org January 3, 2014, accessed January 14, 2014.
* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research.
Article posted on January 24, 2014.
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Although very informative, who do you suppose paid for that study?
There is a red fox living somewhere on our ten wooded acres.
He/she looks well fed.
I really hate it when I find them with their nose stuck to my refridgerator in the morning.
Sorry, I can’t pass up the opportunity
“Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow!”
It was probably paid for with taxpayer dollars.
Then, the scientist who did the work, either will volunteer to deny the obvious intelligent design implications, or he/she would be pressured, ridiculed, and/or fired if they ever dared to mention the concept of an intelligent Creator in their work.
So much so that if someone ‘invented’ a bio-mimetic version of the same system, and then another person stole that design, they’d get hauled into court for patent violations.
Anyway, that’s my supposition on the issue.
This is the second article I read like this recently. The other one was a study that dogs face North most times when they poop.
I’ve never seen a well-fed coyote, though..... always scrawny and rangy looking, but I live in the Southwest.
I loved having foxes nearby when we bought our home. Although their crying in the early morning was very unsettling.
Unfortunately, they all died years ago of a canine disease. I have only seen 1 in the last 8 years or so. Hopefully, they can make a comeback.
“The other one was a study that dogs face North most times when they poop.”
Yep. WHen I did the title search before I posted it, there were two other FR articles about dogs’ magnetic NorthStar poops.
When God created foxes, He meant them to use their compasses for catching mice. After we domesticated the canines, the best they can do is leave messes for us to clean up after in the backyard.
I asked a fox but all he said was Zinggadingdinggadingadingdingding.
HA!
Foxy lay-day!! *launches into epic guitar solo*
[ Sorry, I can’t pass up the opportunity
“Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow!” ]
So that is what the fox has to say about having magnetic senses...
Well, he might say “Fraka-kaka-kaka-kaka-kow” when entering the event horizon of a rotating black hole
4,000 year-old Egyptian texts say that if you have sex on a bed which is oriented north-south, it will be a boy baby.
This has been borne out by modern lab investigations which show male y sperm swim faster than x sperm when the woman is oriented N-S.
Also the Ancient Egypitians knew how to tell if it was going to be a boy baby by watching the woman`s urine soak into a bowl of oats.
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