Abstract
We report evidence for a robust magnetic compass response in C57BL/6J mice. Mice were trained to build their nests in one of four magnetic directions by creating a light gradient along the long axis of a rectangular cage and positioning a nest box at the opposite (dark) end. The mice were then tested overnight in a circular, visually symmetrical arena in one of four magnetic field alignments. The positions of the nests built in the test arena showed strong unimodal orientation in the magnetic direction coinciding with the dark end of the training cage.
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This study was supported by U.S. National Science Foundation Grants NSF IBN04-25712 and IBN02-16957 to J.B.P., and by traveling fellowships of the Royal Physiographical Society in Lund, Sweden, theJournal of Experimental Biology, and the Swiss National Science Foundation (postdoctoral fellowship) to R.M. The first three authors contributed equally to this study.
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Muheim, R., Edgar, N.M., Sloan, K.A. et al. Magnetic compass orientation in C57BL/6J mice. Learning & Behavior 34, 366–373 (2006). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03193201
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03193201