How sharks navigate the vast and seemingly featureless ocean has long been a mystery. Now there’s evidence they may follow their noses.

Sharks rely on their sense of smell to help chart a path through the ever-shifting waters of the deep seas, according to a new study. (Read more about the secrets of animal navigation.)

Many sharks make epic journeys: Great white sharks routinely swim from Hawaii to California, and salmon sharks migrate between the Alaska coast and the subtropical Pacific. 

Scientists have hypothesized that the animals navigate by monitoring odor cues or the Earth’s magnetic field, but no one knew for sure.