Animal Migration
Animal Migration is when animals travel a certain distance to a different or new habitat.
Who migrates?
Most animals that migrate live in areas with definite seasons, where it gets cool or cold part of the year and warm for another part. Some animals in tropical areas migrate during the dry season or wet season. Many birds, such as warblers, migrate. Hawks,including the osprey, migrate. Mammals that migrate include some kinds of bats, caribou, right whales and more. Some insects migrate, including the green darner dragonfly and the monarch butterfly. Amphibians such as the spotted salamanders migrate a short distance to shallow woodland pools in the spring to reproduce and lay their eggs.
What triggers animals to migrate?
It depends on the type of animal, but triggers couldincludechanges in air or water temperature, how available food is, changes in daylength and more. Fish usually migrate because of changes in available food or in order to reproduce.Birds often migrate to new areas with more food and available space to set up a territory.
Why do animals migrate?
Usually animals are trying to find places where there is plenty of food and/or space for nesting.
How do animals migrate?
Many birds can follow landmarks and changes in the land while they are flying. Some birds follow the position of the stars at night to find their way. Hawks and monarch butterflies use warm air currents which help to rise up high in the air. Some insects, birds and crabs can even find their way on cloudy days. They can look at the light that is “scattered” through small particles.Salmon migratefromthe open ocean back to the stream where they were born in order to breed. They find theirway by smelling minerals in the seawater.
There are even animals, including birds, butterflies, salamanders, lobsters, bats, whales, turtles, and sharks that know how to find their way using Earth’s magnetic field. Earth acts like a giant magnet and animals can sense the magnetic poles and how strong the forces are.
Credits
Caribou: By Alexandre Buisse (Nattfodd) (self-made) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Canada geese: By Moxfyre (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Salmon: By U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Humpback Whale: By Cornelia Oedekoven, ([1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Resources
Journey North – A Global Study of Wildlife Migration and Seasonal Change
Dialogue For Kids: Going Places --- Migration
Kids Discover – Migrations
Ducksters –Animal Migration