{"product_id":"desert-navigator","title":"Desert Navigator","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of the Association of American Publishers PROSE Award for Excellence in Biological and Life Sciences\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA world-renowned researcher of animal behavior reveals the extraordinary orienteering skills of desert ants, offering a thrilling account of the sophisticated ways insects function in their natural environments.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eCataglyphis\u003c\/i\u003e desert ants are agile ultrarunners who can tolerate near-lethal temperatures when they forage in the hot midday sun. But it is their remarkable navigational abilities that make these ants so fascinating to study. Whether in the Sahara or its ecological equivalents in the Namib Desert and Australian Outback, the \u003ci\u003eCataglyphis\u003c\/i\u003e navigators can set out foraging across vast expanses of desert terrain in search of prey, and then find the shortest way home. For almost half a century, Rüdiger Wehner and his collaborators have devised elegant experiments to unmask how they do it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThrough a lively and lucid narrative, \u003ci\u003eDesert Navigator\u003c\/i\u003e offers a firsthand look at the extraordinary navigational skills of these charismatic desert dwellers and the experiments that revealed how they strategize and solve complex problems. Wehner and his team discovered that these insect navigators use visual cues in the sky that humans are unable to see, the Earth’s magnetic field, wind direction, a step counter, and panoramic “snapshots” of landmarks, among other resources. The ants combine all of this information to steer an optimal course. At any given time during their long journey, they know exactly where to go. It is no wonder these nimble and versatile creatures have become models in the study of animal navigation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eDesert Navigator\u003c\/i\u003e brings to light the marvelous capacity and complexity found in these remarkable insects and shows us how mini brains can solve mega tasks.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harvard University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54220736758104,"sku":"9780674045880","price":68.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9780674045880_4a499d29-4451-41c6-a538-96884ada8cd2.jpg?v=1778498149","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/desert-navigator","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}