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The multisensory basis of directed long-distance navigation in the nocturnal Australian Bogong moth
Each spring, billions of Bogong moths escape hot conditions across a vast swathe of southeast Australia by migrating over 1000 km to a limited number of cool caves in the Australian Alps, historically used for aestivating over the summer – a place they have never previously been. At the beginning of autumn, the same individuals make a return migration to their breeding grounds to reproduce and die. To make these incredible journeys, we have discovered that Bogong moths rely on the stars and the Earth’s magnetic field as compasses to fly in their inherited migratory direction, and an innately recognised odour wafting from the cave that identifies the destination and provides a navigational beacon at the very end of their long journey. In my talk I will describe the experiments that led to these findings and explain the nature of the visual, magnetic and olfactory sensory mechanisms that underly the Bogong moth’s remarkable navigational abilities.
Date:
19 February 2026, 14:00
Venue:
Seminar rooms 7 & 8 in the Life and Mind Building, South Parks Road, OX1 3EL
Speaker:
Prof Eric Warrant (University of Lund)
Organising department:
Department of Biology
Organiser contact email address:
andrea.kastner@biology.ox.ac.uk
Host:
Dr Tim Guilford (University of Oxford)
Booking required?:
Not required
Audience:
Members of the University only
Editor:
Andrea Kastner
