Mon Prof Augmenté
Figure-Eight Waggle Dance
A honeybee runs a figure-eight path on the comb and waggles its abdomen along the straight diagonal part. The angle of that waggle run points toward food relative to the sun, and its length tells other bees how far away the food is.
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Age 15: open this week
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In the picture
- The central bee’s abdomen: its waggling angle shows direction relative to the sun.
- The diagonal segment of the figure-eight trail: its length and duration show distance to the food.
- The sunbeam: the reference direction for the angle.
- A nearby bee’s antennae: it detects the dancer’s movements and orientation.
Examples
- A friend points toward a distant shop while using the sun’s position as a reference.
- A longer walk to a landmark tells you the destination is farther away.
Key takeaways
- The waggle angle uses the sun as a compass.
- The length of the waggle run communicates distance.
Carry on in the app
Three questions on this lesson. It has left the free week, so its quiz is for subscribers.
At least one new illustrated lesson every weekday for your child’s year, with its quiz and a reminder at 6:15 pm.
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