Scientists
have revealed how the insects will use the Milky Way to orientate themselves as
they roll their balls of muck along the earth. Humans, birds and seals are all well-known
to navigate by the stars. But this could be the first instance of an insect
doing so. The dung beetles are not essentially rolling with the Milky Way or 90
degrees to it; they can go at any angle to this band of light in the sky. They could
be down in the dirt but it seems dung beetles also have their eyes on the
stars.
Dung beetles like to run in directly lines. When they find a pile of droppings, they shape a small ball and start pushing it away to a safe distance where they can eat it, usually underground. Dr. Dacke had previously shown that dung beetles were able to keep a straight line by taking cues from the Sun, the Moon, and even the pattern of polarized light formed around these light sources.
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