Australian moths navigate using the stars

The bogong moth migrates up to 1,000km using the Milky Way as a guide

- Helen Pilcher

THE AUSTRALIAN BOGONG MOTH USES THE stars of the Milky Way to navigate during its annual migration, according to research reported in the journal Nature. It's the first invertebrate known to use the stars for long-distance travel.

Every spring, billions of bogong moths escape the blistering heat of southeast Australia by migrating up to 1,000km to a cluster of cool caves in the Australian Alps. There, they lie dormant until autumn, when they make the return leg to their breeding ground.