The idea is that when they're in their home loft as young pigeons, they are constantly sampling the smells brought to them on the wind from all different points of the companies. They learn to associate particular bouquets of sense with each wind direction. But let's not for a moment imagine that pigeons rely exclusively on smell because pretty well every animal uses a multiplicity of different navigational systems.
As part of a massive new global tracking project, scientists are monitoring animals from a receiver on the International Space Station, mapping the incredible, previously unknown journeys that animals undertake. They’re beginning to tackle questions like how far do animals actually move? And how in the world do they know where they’re going?
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