Where does this come from, and can I check it?

It rolls a straight line at night using the band of the galaxy overhead. The figure is taken from Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a animals fact?

Yes. It sits on the Animals shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

A dung beetle steers by the Milky Way

It rolls a straight line at night using the band of the galaxy overhead Experiments showed the beetles keep a straight course under a starry sky but wander under an overcast one. They also use the Sun, the Moon and polarised light during the day. A straight path keeps rivals from stealing the ball. It sits in Mondo's animals collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Britannica

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

Science trivia

More facts like this

Dung beetles navigate in straight lines using the Milky WayNight-active dung beetles use the starry sky gradient to roll dung balls.Birds sense Earth's magnetic field to find their wayA light sensitive protein in the eye may let them see the field Pigeons can find home from over 1,000 kilometresThey use the Sun, magnetic cues and familiar landmarks together Sea turtles navigate oceans using Earth magnetic fieldHatchling sea turtles detect magnetic inclination and intensity.A honeybee dances to give directionsThe angle of the waggle run matches the angle of the flowers to the Sun Insects breathe through holes in their sidesAir enters spiracles and travels through tubes called tracheae

Tags: insects, navigation, stars

A dung beetle steers by the Milky Way: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: It rolls a straight line at night using the band of the galaxy overhead. The figure is taken from Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a animals fact?: Yes. It sits on the Animals shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.