Scientists have determined in a new study that dolphins may be able to sense magnets, since they swim differently near magnetized objects.

It is the first study to prove that dolphins are magnetosensitive, or magnetoreceptive.

Marine biologists at Universite de Rennes and Institut Universitaire de France placed a barrel containing a strongly magnetized block in a tank with six bottlenose dolphins and recorded their reactions, according to a Springer press release.

They then placed a barrel with a demagnetized block and tried the same. The blocks were identical in both form and density, indistinguishable even with echolocation.

The dolphins swam freely and were allowed to interact with both barrels. The researchers found that the dolphins approached the barrel much faster when it contained a magnetized block.

The dolphins didn't interact with both types of barrels differently however. This could mean that the dolphins were more intrigued than physically drawn to the barrel with the magnetized block, according to the release.

The findings were published in the journal Naturwissenschaften.

"Dolphins are able to discriminate between objects based on their magnetic properties, which is a prerequisite for magnetoreception-based navigation," said Dorothee Kremers, one of the researchers, in the news release. "Our results provide new, experimentally obtained evidence that cetaceans have a magnetic sense, and should therefore be added to the list of magnetosensitive species."

The discovery could help researchers with conservation efforts and allow scientists to better understand migration routes that dolphins take.

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