Homing (biology)

Homing is the inherent ability of an animal to navigate towards an original location through unfamiliar areas.

It is often used in reference to going back to a breeding spot seen years before, as in the case of salmon.

Homing abilities can also be used to go back to familiar territory when displaced over long distances, such as with the red-bellied newt.

This is also commonly used when no other methods are available, as in the case of lobsters,[3] which live underwater, and mole rats,[4] which home through their burrows.

[5] There is evidence that olfaction, or smell, is used in homing with several salamanders, such as the red-bellied newt.