They use an inclination compass as a mean to guide their direction. Many studies suggested that the migratory destination is genetically encoded as a course relative to the magnetic field 3 . Visual cues such as the sun also play a role in migratory direction, but the magnetic field plays a bigger part, especially on days that are overcast. Moving onto the ocean, most of the animals there make use of the geomagnetic field to navigate. A very common example is the salmon.
Salmons hatch in streams or the upper courses of rivers and migrate to the ocean.
They stay there for one or more years until they mature and return to fresh water to their natal river to spawn. Again, magnetic field is the guiding factor for the salmons, as it is for sharks, rays, eels, and many others. It works as a guide not only for fish, but also for other ocean wonders such as mollusks and crustaceans. Up along the animal kingdom, amphibians also make use of the geomagnetic field. As part of their lifetime tracks, amphibians migrate between feeding sites, breeding sites, and wintering sites.