[ExI] Bees build mental maps to get home

[spike]

>... On Behalf Of BillK
Subject: [ExI] Bees build mental maps to get home

>...Study suggests the insects do not rely solely on the Sun as a compass.

>...Bees, like birds and butterflies, use the Sun as a compass for
navigation, whereas mammals typically find their way by remembering familiar
landmarks on a continuous mental map. However, the latest research suggests
that bees also use this type of map, despite their much smaller brain size.

<http://www.nature.com/news/bees-build-mental-maps-to-get-home-1.15333>

>...Dyer is not yet convinced that bees navigate using a cognitive map. He
thinks that the insects could be using features of the terrain independent
of the Sun to navigate, similar to the way a mariner might use a beacon.
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>...That's still a pretty good feat for such a tiny dot of a brain!

BillK
_______________________________________________


Thanks BillK, this has the ring of truth.  I have seen bees flying around on
solid overcast days where there was not a particularly bright patch of sky
anywhere, just a solid light gray from horizon to horizon.  The bees were
going out to a particular place, devouring the pollen and flying back home
just the same as they do on any sunny day.  We have no reason to justify
speculation they can only use the sun to navigate.

spike