Oh, Deer: Mammals Use Magnetic Navigation, Too

You're in a herd of deer when a mountain lion is seen approaching. What's your safest retreat? Is it to run directly away? Is it to scatter in all directions? Or is it to run according to a predetermined orientation?

Scientists in Europe were intrigued that roe deer seem to orient in a north-south direction when grazing and when startled, so they decided to investigate. What they uncovered was a novel case of magnetic navigation in the animal kingdom. A Springer news item says:

Why do deer i...