Animal Migration

Fun Facts about Migrating Animals• The whale that migrates the longest is the

Gray Whale, which migrates about 12,500 miles.

• The insect that migrates the longest is the desert locust, which travels about 2,800 miles.

• The butterfly that migrates the longest is the Monarch, which migrates up to 2,000 miles.

• The land animal that migrates the longest is the caribou, which travels about 700 miles.

What is Migration?

Prerequisites for migration:1. Sustained movement

2. Physical endurance

3. Mechanisms for storing energy

4. Designated food sources on the migration route

Migration ensures animals will have adequate food supplies & will be able to reproduce.

Migration is the regular movement of animals from one location to another.

Types of Migration

Migration may occur: As a round trip As a return migration

• Corresponds with the seasons

Some require a lifetime to complete: Ex: Pacific salmon

• Born in freshwater streams• Travel to the ocean • Return to the stream where

they were born • Spawn and then die

Knowing When to Migrate How do animals know

when it is time to migrate? Internal signals

Hormones trigger an overwhelming urge to…

• eat, mate & reproduce

External signals (clues) Temperature change Daylight hours Scarce food supply

Migration Destinations

How do animals know where to go? Specialized abilities to navigate External forces

Ex.: wind & water currents Landmarks:

Ex.: coastlines, mountain ranges, river valleys & distinctive odors

Sun: Track the passage of days and months Track their position in relationship to the sun

Migration Destinations (cont.)

Internal Clues Are sensitive to a mineral known as

magnetite Found in many animals, including humans Allows animals to use the earth’s magnetic field

as a guide.

Ex.: Gray whales Large amount of magnetite in their retinas

• Helps them navigate their 10,000 mile journey

Migration: Behavior or Instinct?

Monarch butterfly Migration is instinctive Fly without guidance or previous experience Use little or no directional clues

Learning migration behaviors for most animals is critical to their survival.

Migration Behaviors

Older members of the group teach the younger animals: The route traveled Valuable strategies

and/or behaviorsHumans teach

younger animals, too. Ultra-light aircraft

• Taught various species of cranes their migration routes

Most animals must learn their migratory routes.

Animals who are not taught these behaviors will not likely survive.

Why Migrate?Most animals migrate

for two reasons: Food & water:

• Will migrate to find these resources

Reproduction:• Safe environment for

bearing & nursing offspring.

• Abundant food sources

Hazards of Migration Two categories:

Natural hazards:• Climate changes• Drought• Food Supply• Predators• Physical demands of

migration

Man-made hazards:• Barriers (fences,

dams, & skyscrapers) • Water, aircraft, &

fishing practices

•African Elephant: It migrates to find food during the wet and drys seasons.•American Buffalo: The American Buffalo is the heaviest land animal in North America.•American Golden Plover: The American Golden Plover is a medium-sized shorebird.•Arctic Tern: A small bird that flies from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back again each year.•Basking Shark: A huge filter feeder and the second largest fish.•Bat: Bats are the only flying mammal. Some bats, like the Red bat, migrate.•Beluga Whale: A small, white, toothed whale that lives mostly in cold, Arctic waters.•Birds: Many birds, like the bobolink, the Arctic tern, and the Golden Plover, migrate.•Blue Shark: A sleek, fast-swimming shark with blue skin.•Bowhead Whale: A baleen whale rich in blubber.•Bull Shark: A blunt-nosed, dangerous, gray shark can that live in fresh water rivers and lakes.•Canada Goose: The Canada goose is a large North American bird that honks.•Caribou: Caribou are herbivores that live in Arctic regions.•Cockatoo: Cockatoos are birds with a large, feathery crest and a hooked bill.

Crab: A crab is an animal with a shell. Many crabs migrate to reproduce.Dogfish Shark: A small, very common, relatively harmless shark found worldwide.Dolphin: A dolphin is a small, toothed whale, a marine mammal.Earthworm: An earthworm is a little animal with a long, soft body and no legs.Elephant: There are two types of elephants, the Indian elephant and the African elephant.Frog: Frogs are amphibians that migrate back to the pond, marsh, or lake where they hatched as tadpoles, and lay their own eggs there.Fruit Bat: Fruit bats are large bats that eat fruits and flowers.Hammerhead Shark: Large predators with a hammer-shaped head.Gnu: The gnu is a fast-running, herding, grass-eater from eastern Africa.Goose: The Canada goose is a large North American bird that honks.Gray Whale: A baleen whale that is a bottom feeder; it migrates long distances.Great White Shark: An enormous, ferocious predator found worldwide.Greenland Shark: A large, slow-swimming shark with glow-in-the-dark eyes.Hammerhead Shark: Large predators with a hammer-shaped head.Hummingbird: Hummingbirds are tiny birds that eat flower nectar.

Ladybug: Tiny flying insects that eat garden pests. Some ladybugs migrate.Mako Shark: Large predators that are the fastest swimming fish!Mallard Duck: The Mallard is a common wild duck that is the ancestor of most domestic ducks.Manatee: Manatees are gentle, slow-swimming, aquatic mammals.Salmon: Salmon are fish that live in the sea and spawn in fresh water.Nightingale: A small songbird that sings beautiful, complex songs, often at night.Oriole: The Baltimore Oriole is a black and orange bird that eats fruit and nectar.Reindeer: Reindeer are herbivores that live in Arctic regions.Sea Turtle: Sea turtles are large marine turtles.Snow Goose: Snow Geese are migratory birds from North America.Swordfish: The swordfish is a large fish with a long, sharp bill.Tiger Shark: Large predators found worldwide in warm seas.Toad: Toads are amphibians with poison glands. Toads migrate back to the pond, marsh, or lake where they hacthed as tadpoles, and lay their own eggs there.Tuna: A large, bony fish that migrates thousands of miles across the oceans.

Umbrellabird: A bird with a large tuft of feathers on its head.Wildebeest: The wildebeest is a fast-running, herding, grass-eater from eastern Africa. Also known as the gnu.Zebra: Zebras are hoofed mammals that have black and white stripes.