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A-maze-ing Mole Rats
Courtesy of Tali Kimchi |
The researchers subjected roughly two dozen mole rats to different maze experiments. The mole rats were taught to follow predetermined routes to a food source and in some cases to take the shortest route possible back to a nesting area. When tested later under normal environmental conditions, the trained mole rats fared extremely well. When the biologists applied a false magnetic field to the mazes, however, the creatures aligned their course to the new field and ended up in the wrong location—but only when the distance to the goal was more than about 20 feet. “The mole rat can use internal cues to orient short distances, while for long-distance orientation it also uses a magnetic compass,” says Kimchi. Using this built-in compass, the blind animals can get around “at least as efficiently as sighted animals aboveground.”