In the next article on our site, we will deal with a very important topic in nature, the migration phenomenon In some areas of the planet, large hordes of animals moving from one place to another are common, you may have noticed it in birds.
There are many animal species that make these annual trips, but we rarely understand why they do it. Learn about the animals that migrate, why they migrate and examples, in the following article. Keep reading!
What is animal migration?
Migration is a process through which animals move periodically from their original place to another; they will occupy the new area for a certain period of time. There are various reasons for this phenomenon. In most cases, these journeys help to maintain the balance of natural ecosystems, both at the place of departure and at the destination.
The migration process usually lasts several days, since it depends on the distance that the animals have to travel, as well as the climatic conditions that exist at that time. In addition, animals perform these migrations in large groups
Currently, a great unknown regarding this phenomenon persists: it is unknown how they orient themselves in space to know where to go.
Why do animals migrate?
There are various reasons that drive species to move from their place of origin. In this article about the animals that migrate, why they migrate and examples, we explain the main reasons:
Temperature changes
During the year, two phenomena occur that radically modify climatic conditions: summer and winter As temperatures rise in colder areas, the animals that inhabit those areas migrate to places where the climate remains below average. Similarly, species from warm areas move to warmer lands upon perceiving the drop in average temperature.
Protection
Some animal species are more exposed to more threats than others, either by an increase in predators or by human action Like the growth of cities. These factors drive the search for the best areas to complete their life cycle.
Survival
The third reason that influences the origin of migrations is the survival instinct. During the breeding periods, species are forced to move to other lands to find a mate and reproduce.
In survival we also include factors such as lack of food and water scarcity, frequent reasons for animal movements.
What are the animals that migrate?
Among the animals that migrate, there are innumerable species that carry out these movements. Water, land and air witness the annual movements of species such as the following:
Mammals that migrate
Among the most common examples of migrating mammals are antelopes, around a million of them move widely between Tanzania and Kenya in search of food. In addition, they are accompanied by other animals, such as zebras and gazelles We can't forget the predators, such as lions, hyenas and leopards, who closely follow these hordes waiting for the perfect moment to attack.
In addition, the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), an aquatic mammal, makes a long journey during the migration process: it covers 17,000 km from the South Pole to the coast of Costa Rica, to later return.
Migratory Birds
Bird migration is perhaps the most spectacular of all, not only because of the number of birds that fill the skies each year, but also because of the great distances they travel, the enormous effort they make and the way they help each other to orient themselves in the air.
In this sense, the swallows (Hirundo rustica) are one of the bird species that can be observed during this process, they travel 13,000 km from Europe to Africa to escape the terrible winter cold.
However, the bird species that makes the longest journey is the arctic tern(Sterna paradisaea), native to Greenland, as it travels to the South Antarctic to enjoy the summer; this journey involves 70,000 km approximately.
Shearwaters also migrate, breeding in the South Atlantic before traveling to Newfoundland and then on to Greenland, where they remain until the fall before returning home.
In this other article on our site we talk in more detail about migratory birds.
Invertebrate animals that migrate
Among the invertebrates that migrate is the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), a type of butterfly that travels 8,000 km during the summer Mexican to reach Canadian forests. However, of all the insects, the one that travels the greatest distance is the dragonfly, since several species are capable of moving from India to Uganda by flying 17,800 km.
Not only are insects among the invertebrates that migrate, crabs they also travel more than 200 km to lay their eggs in water areas s alty Locusts, meanwhile, move when food is scarce, forming large swarms and seeking areas of abundant vegetation.
Amphibians and reptiles that migrate
Among the reptiles that migrate is the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), native to the Caribbean Sea, as it travels to the mainland American looking for food. If it is just as scarce in that area, it travels to the African continent in a journey of 16,000 km
Other animals that migrate include toads, frogs and salamanders, which leave their shelters each spring to lay their eggs. During the process, these animals face all kinds of problems, such as roads, predators and vehicles.
Fish that migrate
The species of the genus that travel the furthest during the migration process are salmons, reaching more than 11.000km They are followed by trout, which live a large part of their lives in the lakes, but when the time comes they go to the rivers to fertilize the eggs. Once the pups are born, they return to the lakes to start the cycle.
Tunas also migrate; however, the process is carried out in the oceans and the reason is usually the search for better food sources when summer arrives.
Discover with our site the most beautiful marine fish in the world.