Nocturnal Navigation

These ants use a sophisticated lunar compass

- —K. R. Callaway

WHEN THE SUN SETS, millions of nocturnal ants awaken ready to eat. Some species forage all night, traveling from nest to food source and back again, often following trails they mark with scent. Scientists assumed bull ants, which don’t rely primarily on scent navigation, had to wake up before dark and use the day’s last light to find their way to sustenance. But a new study of one bull ant species shows the insects continue to navigate when the sun goes down—using an innate lunar compass.

Just as diurnal ants follow the relatively steady movement of the sun, the bull ant species has adapted to the orbiting moon’s constant changes, according to research published in