| Birds | Magnetoreception | Birds navigate by sensing the Earth’s magnetic fields. This is how they embark on long migratory journeys. |
| Marine animals | Salinity Gradient | Marine animals such as salmon use changes in water salinity (salt concentration) to navigate their way back to their birthplaces for spawning. |
| Insects | Sun Compass | Bees and other insects use the sun as a reference point for directionality. They internalize the sun’s pattern of movement to find their way. |
| Mammals | Landmarks | Mammals like wolves or deer use recognizable terrain features and smells as landmarks to navigate. |
| Bats | Echolocation | Bats emit sounds and use the time it takes for the sound to return to determine their position relative to objects. |
| Sea Turtles | Geomagnetic Map | Sea turtles use a geomagnetic map, where they imprint on the magnetic field of their natal beach, and use this information to return there to lay eggs. |
| Pigeons | Visual Mapping | Pigeons use a combination of visual mapping (landmarks), the sun’s movements, and sensing Earth’s magnetic fields to navigate. |
| Ants | Path Integration/Dead Reckoning | Ants use the method of path integration, where they consistently update their position relative to a starting point (e.g. their nest) to navigate. |
| Spiders | Vibrations | Many spiders sense vibrations and use that information to navigate their local environments. |
