Magnetic compass orientation in the Eastern Red-Spotted Newt, Notophthalmus viridescens: Rapid acquisition of the shoreward axis

Orientation toward and away from shore (y-axis orientation) plays an import ant role in the daily and seasonal movements of amphibians. A variety of st udies have shown that amphibians use both celestial cues and the geomagneti c field for y-axis orientation. However, few studies have addressed how qui ckly amphibians are able to learn the direction of a new shore. In the pres ent laboratory-based experiments, we show that the Eastern Red-Spotted Newt , Notophthalmus viridescens, is able to learn the direction of the y-axis w ith respect to the geomagnetic field within 12-16 h. In conjunction with pr evious findings, our results suggest that the geomagnetic field is an impor tant and readily used cue for orientation in amphibians.