What do you know about Animal Migration?

What is Animal Migration?

The word ‘migrate’ means to move from one place to another, and it can happen on many scales, both large and small. For instance, cells in our body migrate, and our teeth migrate. But the kind of migration we want to focus on and explain is Animal migration. Animal migration is the movement of a group of animals from one place to another, and in most cases, back again.

Why does it happen?

Animal migration is usually seasonal, as it is easier for most animals to live in a warmer climate, so they follow the sun and avoid harsh, cold environments. While some groups will all migrate together, there is also partial migration, whereby some members of a group migrate, and others do not.

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Food is also an important factor when it comes to animal migration, and some species will move from one area to another as they know there will be plenty of food there. For example, Wildebeest live a nomadic lifestyle and are on a kind of continual migration in search of grass and water, so they follow the rains.

Other examples of migration?

Humpback Whale: The Humpback Whale undertakes the longest migration of any animal, an impressive feat indeed. A female Humpback Whale can travel up to 9,800km from the tropics towards the north, where the whales gather to feed. In late autumn the whales begin an annual migration route to the winter breeding and calving grounds in the warm waters of the pacific, and they return south in the spring.

Monarch Butterfly: the Monarch Butterfly has one of the most unique kinds of migration, as no one butterfly will ever complete the whole cycle. This is because the butterflies do not live long enough to make the entire 3,100km journey. The butterflies migrate as they cannot withstand a cold climate, so must travel to areas with the right climate at certain times of year.

African Elephant: the largest land animal in existence, Elephants are spectacular, and migrate in order to breed. They live in a matriarchal society, staying in family groups, and males live independently once they reach a certain age. In April male Elephants migrate southward to look for female groups to mate with. This migratory journey ends in June.

Bird Migration: Birds are perhaps the first kind of animal people think of when it comes to migration, and there are many species of bird that migrate, usually due to weather and food supply. In general, bird migration is seasonal and will see certain species of bird move between north and south depending on the season.

The Great Migration: this is one of the most spectacular examples of animal migration on the planet, involving several different species, and spanning 1,200 miles. An immense number of animals make this journey, including some 1.5 million wildebeest, and 200,000 zebras, all travelling for food and water. Calves are born at the beginning of the year in the south region of the Serengeti, and there is ample grass for all the animals. Then the rains end in May, and the animals begin migrating to the northwest, where they will stay until late June. After that, the herds head for Kenya, where they remain until November, when they begin to move south again. It is one of the most awesome events to take place in the Animal Kingdom.

To learn more about animals and animal behaviour check out our Animal Behaviour course or our Natural Science course!