Migration

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What is migration?• Migration - the regular movement of birds and other creatures

from one part of the world to another and back• Migration is usually seasonal• Mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, crustaceans and

birds migrate• Migration is a form of adaptation. Animals migrate to survive• The trigger for the migration may be • local climate or season change• local availability of food, • for mating reasons

• Learning about migration is one of the best ways to understand the risks that birds and other animals must take in their daily lives

World distancesWrite down the distances as they appear on the map

Cape Town to Cairo 4,500 miles 7,200 km

Cairo to Ulaanbaatar4,000 miles 6,500 km

London to Edinburgh 350 miles 550 km

Madrid to Paris660 miles 1000 km

The Humpback Whale• The humpback whale can travel 16,000 miles a year• That is the greatest migration than any other mammal on Earth

Each species of humpback whale travels to warmer tropical waters during the winter months to mate and give birth

Then they swim to the rich colder waters of the Arctic or Antarctic to

feed for the summer

Migratory animals• The leatherback

turtles travel across the Pacific Ocean between Indonesia and the U.S.

• An incredible distance of more than 12,000 miles in 647 days

• Females mate very 2 or 3 years

• One of their most impressive feats is the ability to navigate back the beach where they were born to spawn

Africa’s Wildebeest• Africa's wildebeest

herds travel annually by the millions in search of greener pastures

• More than 1.5 million wildebeest migrate in an enormous loop every year

• The wildebeest do not travel alone. As many as 200,000 zebra and 500,000 gazelles also make the journey

• Followed by some of the Africa’s top predators.

Birds• About 1,800 of the world's bird

species are migratory. • The tiny Arctic tern undertakes

nature's longest migration, flying 43,000 miles annually between the Arctic and Antarctic.

• Starting in August and September, the Arctic tern will head away from Greenland with the intention of getting to the Weddell Sea, on the shores of Antarctica.

• It will spend about four or five months in the deep south before heading back to the far north, arriving home in May or June

Satellite Telemetry• Biologists and

researchers use Satellite Telemetry to track migration

• An object on earth can be tracked using satellites in space

• There are roughly 2,250 satellites orbiting the Earth

Satellite Telemetry – how does it work?

Researchers attach a Platform Terminal Transmitter (PTT) to the back of the Falcon

The PTT sends digital codes to an orbiting satellite

The satellite re-transmits the data to a receiving station on earth

Data is sent to the researchers who can access the information through their computer.

The researchers can create an online maps showing where the Falcon has been

What next ?Complete the Student Worksheet Watch the PowerPoint on Arctic Peregrine Migration