Migratory animals

Billions of vertebrates migrate to and from their breeding grounds annually, exhibiting astonishing feats of endurance. Many such movements are energetically costly yet there is little consensus on whether or how such costs might influence schedules of survival and reproduction in migratory animals. Here we provide a global analysis of associations between migratory behaviour and vertebrate life histories. After controlling for latitudinal and evolutionary patterns, we find that migratory birds and mammals have faster paces of life than their non-migratory relatives. Among swimming and walking species, migrants tend to have larger body size, while among flying species, migrants are smaller. We discuss whether pace of life is a determinant, consequence, or adaptive outcome, of migration. Our findings have important implications for the understanding of the migratory phenomenon and will help predict the responses of bird and mammal species to environmental change. Animal migration is a widespread phenomenon, having evolved independently multiple times in all major vertebrate, and a number of invertebrate, classes A first set of hypotheses emphasise the role of ecology and biogeography in driving the evolution of migration. Based on standard life history theory A second set of hypotheses proposes that that variation in migratory propensity is predominantly a product of the allometric relationship between body size and mass-specific metabolic rates These contrasting viewpoints...

Examples of animals that migrate include the gray whale, caribou, monarch butterfly, Arctic tern, bar-tailed godwit, Canada goose, Chinook salmon, leatherback sea turtle and blue wildebeest. The best-known and most visible migratory animals are birds, but mammals, reptiles and even insects and amphibians all have migratory species. On this page is a list of some of the best-known animals that migrate, together with facts about animal migration… Page Index • • Other Pages on Active Wild • • • • • • … See more amazing animal lists: Animal Migration Many cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) are migratory. Pictured above is a humpback whale; you can read more about this species further down the page. What Is Migration? Many animals move around from place to place, following their food or seeking better weather as the seasons change. In some cases, these movements are cyclical: the animal leaves one habitat, moves to another, and then returns, often on an annual cycle. Such rhythmic movements are called migrations. Why Do Animals Migrate? For some migratory animals, the urge to move is deeply ingrained in their psychology. Migratory birds, for example, show increased restlessness when the migration season comes along – even captive birds, which don’t need to migrate, become restless and hyperactive when they sense a change in the seasons. Today, migration is one of the most active fields of research in animal behavior. Thanks to online citizen science projects (where ordi...

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Organisms of the northern alpine tundra probably evolved before those of the Lowland tundra animals appear to have evolved in central Eurasia when tundra replaced the cold temperate Ursus maritimus), Alopex lagopus), Arctic Canis lupus), Arctic Lepus arcticus), Arctic Mustela), Nyctea scandiaca), several species of Lagopus), and a number of species of Warm interglacial periods (that is, the intervals between Arctic mammals Small polar ecosystem With environmental extremes as pronounced as they are in the Arctic and with the number of species so limited, there are often considerable oscillations in animal populations. Lemmings are the most prominent example, but the populations of animals that prey on lemmings—such as Stercorarius), The characteristic large Rangifer tarandus) of Eurasia and North America (where they are known as caribou) and the Ovibos moschatus) of Some predatory mammals follow the seasonal patterns of their prey, whereas others obtain Ursus arctos) capture Many tundra animals sport white coats in winter as part of distinct summer-winter phase shifts in Alpine mammals Alpine tundras are similarly limited in the number of animal species and Ovis canadensis), Capra), Rupicapra), several wildcats, and many birds. Oreamnos americanus) spend noticeably more time at higher elevations in winter. In contrast with Arctic tundra mammals, some alpine mammals Marmota), Ochotona) and Chen caerulescens) Most tundra Chen caerulescens), alter the landscape. Snow geese oft...

Every other Friday, NHPR’s Outside/In team answers a question from a listener about the natural world. The latest one comes from a follower on “How do birds, whales, and other migratory animals communicate to younger generations about how/where to migrate?” Although we’ve come to learn a lot about how animals behave and socialize, there’s still a lot researchers don’t understand about how animals transfer skills and knowledge across generations – especially when it comes to migration. For one, social and communication behaviors vary across the numerous species that migrate, including fish, crustaceans, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and insects. Plus, migration journeys are long. “It’s a logistical problem to be able to follow these animals,” said Patrik Byholm, a lecturer at the Novia University of Applied Sciences in Finland who specializes in bird research. “I mean, we are talking about often at least huge distances thousands and thousands of kilometers that they or miles that they migrate together.” That being said, there are animals that don’t explicitly communicate with each other — or to their young — about how to embark on their migration journeys. Some simply know where to go instinctually. Cuckoos, for example, lay eggs in other birds’ nests, meaning they never interact with their young, which have to make the migration journey on their own. Monarch butterflies travel westward across the U.S. and south to Mexico, with the sun as their navigational guide. There’s a...

An adult Christmas Island red crab ( Gecarcoidea natalis) feasting on young after they leave the ocean. (Image credit: Our Planet II/Netflix) The Christmas Island red crab ( Gecarcoidea natalis) migration takes place every year, with an estimated 65 million of these crustaceans traveling 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) from the forests where they live on the island to their coastal breeding grounds. Billions of crablets swarm the reef before making their way to dry land. (Image credit: Our Planet II/Netflix) Spawning takes place before dawn during the last quarter of the moon, when females release their eggs into the water as the high tide turns and starts to recede. "The fertilized eggs are dropped into the ocean by the females and hatch on immediate contact with the water," Lucy Turner, a marine biologist at the University of Plymouth, U.K. who was not involved with the video, told Live Science in an email. Over the course of a month, after going through different larval stages, the baby crabs — or crablets — eventually develop into little creatures known as megalopae. The crabs have to walk 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) from the coast to the forest after leaving the ocean. (Image credit: Our Planet II/Netflix) In the new clip from "Our Planet II," viewers see the crablets' return to dry land. As they emerge from the water, they shed their waterproof shells to become fully formed crabs at just 0.2 inch (5 millimeters) across. But as they get to the beach, danger is lurking. An adult...

Spring is in the air, and the animal kingdom is on the move. Vernal migrations feature everything from fish and birds to big, shaggy mammals and tiny insects. These journeys are about as diverse as the species themselves, but Andy Davis, a University of Georgia ecologist and editor of the journal “It’s hard; it’s a taxing, energetically expensive journey,” Davis says. “It allows them to exploit different resources that they wouldn’t have been able to find if they’d stayed put, but a lot of animals die trying to complete migrations. So every year it’s a selective episode that helps to keep the population strong.” If you are in the right spot on the planet, you might even catch some of the natural world’s most incredible migrators on the move. Caribou A herd of caribou or reindeer on the coast of the Chukchi Peninsula in Russia. Galen Rowell/Corbis via Getty Images Famed for circumnavigating the globe on December 25, many reindeer (also known as caribou in North America) spend the rest of the year on an equally epic circuit, hoofing it to greener pastures. Alaska is home to more than half a million caribou in seven migrating herds. The Porcupine Herd, some 170,000 animals strong, winters south of Alaska’s Brooks Range and in the Yukon but migrates north to the Arctic Coastal Plain for calving. That’s a distance of about 400 miles as the crow flies, but Eastern migratory caribou herds (which have Bar-Tailed Godwit Bar-tailed godwit in breeding plumage. Andreas Trepte, www.pho...

1. Discuss reasons animals Ask: What do most animals need to Isn’t it easier to stay where you are? What might cause a 2. Have students preview the worksheet Species That Migrate. Divide students into six small groups. Distribute one copy of the worksheet Species that Migrate to each group. Read aloud the directions. As a class, preview the table by discussing the provided example for sockeye salmon. Answer any questions students may have. Tell students they will watch four video clips. Encourage them to listen for the type of information covered in the table as they watch each. 3. Watch a video clip from Great Migrations and have groups find additional facts. Show students the video clip “Monarch Migration.” Then have small groups identify migratory habits of the species in the clip, using the Animals A-Z feature on the National Geographic Animals website to find additional facts about each animal. Allow students enough time to complete the row for the monarch butterfly in the worksheet. 4. Repeat the process with three additional video clips. Show students “Wildebeest Migration” and allow them time to refer to the National Geographic Animals website to find additional facts about wildebeest and complete that row. Repeat the same process for the video clips “Sperm Whale Gathering" and "Red Crab Eggs." 5. Have groups compare and contrast the migratory habits of two species. Distribute one copy of the worksheet Compare and Contrast Migratory Species to each group. Assign ea...