Monarch butterflies have a built-in magnetic compass as a back-up orientation system to their regular sun compass.

Etheredge, J.A. . . . O.R. Taylor, et al. 1999. Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus L.) use a magnetic compass for navigation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 96(Nov. 23):13845.

Deutschlander, M.E., S.C. Borland, and J.B. Phillips. 1999. Extraocular magnetic compass in newts. Nature 400(July 22):324.

Perez, S.M., O.R. Taylor, and R. Jander. 1997. Nature (London)387:29.

The Journey North Web site at http://www.learner.org/jnorth/ provides information about tracking monarch butterfly migrations.

Kenneth P. Able
State University of New York at Albany
Department of Biology
1400 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12222-0001

Karen S. Oberhauser
University of Minnesota
Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior
100 Ecology
1987 Upper Buford Circle
St. Paul, MN 55108

Orley R. Taylor Jr.
University of Kansas
Department of Entomology
Lawrence, KS 66045

Charles Walcott
Cornell University
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior
W255 Seeley G. Mudd Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853

From Science News, Vol. 156, No. 22, November 27, 1999, p. 343. Copyright © 1999, Science Service.