Meet the moths that use the stars to find their way
The skill was previously thought unique to humans and certain birds
TWICE A YEAR the skies of south-eastern Australia fill with billions of Bogong moths. In the spring these unassuming brown critters, about an inch long, fly south from their birthplace in Queensland or New South Wales to the Australian Alps where they enter a months-long hibernation-like state in the cool mountain caves. In the autumn, they fly the 1,000km-long return leg to breed.
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This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Stars in their eyes”
From the June 21st 2025 edition
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