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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 13, 2026

Techniques for Investigating the Anatomy of the Ant Visual System
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Nocturnal ants navigate using a time-compensated lunar compass.

Cody A Freas1, Ken Cheng2

  • 1Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, Bât 4R4 31062 Toulouse CEDEX 09, France; School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, 12 Wally's Walk Macquarie University Wallumattagal Campus 2109, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Current Biology : CB
|March 11, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Nocturnal bull ants use a time-compensated lunar compass for navigation, predicting the moon

Keywords:
Myrmecia midascelestial navigationhymenopterainternal clocklunar ephemerispanoramapath integrationspatial memoryspeed-step functionvisual ecology

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Area of Science:

  • Animal behavior
  • Neuroscience
  • Chronobiology

Background:

  • Diurnal animals commonly use a sun compass for navigation, requiring clock-based time compensation to account for the sun's movement.
  • Nocturnal animals may use lunar cues, but their ability to predict the moon's variable trajectory for navigation is unknown.
  • The moon presents a greater navigational challenge than the sun due to its variable rise time, phase, and trajectory.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether nocturnal bull ants (Myrmecia midas) possess a time-compensated lunar compass.
  • To determine if this lunar compass supports their nocturnal path integration.
  • To understand the mechanisms and limitations of lunar compass navigation in nocturnal ants.

Main Methods:

  • Behavioral experiments with nocturnal bull ants (Myrmecia midas).
  • Analysis of ant navigation strategies in relation to the moon's position.
  • Modeling of lunar ephemeris functions and prediction accuracy.

Main Results:

  • Nocturnal bull ants possess a time-compensated lunar compass, utilizing a generalized lunar ephemeris function for path integration.
  • This function involves linear extrapolation of the moon's slow rise and fall, with a 'speed-step' near the lunar apex.
  • Navigation accuracy decreases around the lunar apex due to night-to-night variability, requiring skyline cross-referencing for updates.

Conclusions:

  • Nocturnal ants exhibit a previously unknown form of celestial time compensation for navigation.
  • Their lunar compass relies on within-night predictive processes initiated upon moon observation.
  • This demonstrates a distinct predictive strategy adapted to the moon's variability for nocturnal homing.