Migrating Animals By Zinah

There is a wide range of migratory animals in the world that move around the globe because of climate changes, feeding patterns and breeding patterns. They are all so different but the one thing that unites them is instinct which tells them to migrate with the help of environmental cues. Some animals however don’t follow any pattern but they migrate when they require another food source. The animals don’t have to move great distance to migrate but can just move to a lower altitude if they reside in the mountains. The migrations are a sight to behold like the wildebeests thundering over the plains or the monarch butterflies clustering around trees.

One of the many animals to migrate is the monarch butterfly One of the many animals to migrate is the monarch butterfly. They can’t survive in the cold in the north so they travel south for the winter. To increase their speed, they use air currents and thermals. Monarchs that reside in Eastern North America fly over to the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico where they stay from October to late March. They roost in oyamel fir forests nearly 2 miles above sea level that provides the climate they require. The humidity in the forests ensures that they conserve their needed energy and prevents them from drying out. Monarchs living in California along the Pacific Coast roost in eucalyptus trees, Monterey pine trees and Monterey cypress trees. The monarch butterflies cluster together in the trees to remain warm and tens of thousands can roost on one tree due to their light weight. Monarchs travel during the day and roost at night- usually in pine, fir and cedar trees. Most of these trees are used year after year which is amazing because they are never the same monarchs but the next generation. During the summer, the monarchs mate and lay eggs. These monarchs aren’t reproductive and migrate to Mexico. They become reproductive in February and March and lay eggs while flying north. The migratory generation fly between 2000 to 3000 miles to an overwintering place in Mexico. Monarchs are the only insect known to fly this great a distance. It takes 3 to 4 generations to reach the north finally.

One of the most well-known animals known to migrate are the wildebeests. This is such a wondrous sight that their migration is now one of the 7 Wonders of the World. Over 2 million wildebeests thunder over the plains in search of food leaving the land devastated. They migrate from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.

Around 1200 Humpback Whales migrate from Antarctica to the coastal waters of western and eastern Australia and Fiji. They mate and give birth during winter and spring. They leave Antarctica because food becomes scarce and the water is too cold for the whales to survive in especially the newborn calves. The whales travel in pods (groups) and migrate 2500 km which is one of the largest migrations in the animal kingdom.

Hummingbirds are one of the creatures that people don’t know why they migrate. Some people say it’s because of the insects and some say its because of the flowers. Hummingbirds journey alone because they all have different homes. Hummingbirds eat an enormous quantity of food before they travel so they have enough energy to travel. Loggerhead turtles migrate between their foraging and nesting places. The females go to the beaches and lay approximately 100 eggs and then cover them with sand. They go back to the sea and back to where they came from. Their offspring hatch 50 to 60 days later and go to the sea.