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Wildebeest (also known as gnu) are members of the antelope family, but they look more like cows with their big horns, stocky build, and shaggy manes. Wildebeest ( Connochaetes taurinus) take the crown for the most dramatic migration. It is still a mystery to scientists how the new generations know where to go, but they appear to navigate using a combination of the Earth’s magnetic field and the position of the sun. This new generation of butterflies complete the journey their great-great-great-grandparents started. Along the way, females lay eggs on milkweed plants, which the caterpillars use for food after hatching. When spring arrives, the monarchs start their return journey north the population cycles through three to five generations to reach their destination. Monarch butterflies ( Danaus plexippus) can be found all over the United States and further afield, but it is the northeastern American population that is famous for making the 4,800-kilometer (3,000-mile) journey from Canada to Mexico.Įach year, millions of monarch butterflies leave their northern ranges and fly south to the oyamel fir forests near the Sierra Madre mountains, where they gather in huge roosts to survive the winter. Perhaps one of the most famous migrations is the multi-generational round trip of the monarch butterfly. Arctic terns are believed to migrate around 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles) a year, but a recent scientific study suggests that they might fly double that distance. Seasons are reversed in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, so as winter approaches in their Arctic breeding grounds, the terns head south to the Antarctic where summer is just beginning. To the untrained eye, they do not look as if they are built for endurance, but these birds take the trophy for the longest migration of any animal in the world.įlying from pole to pole, Arctic terns spend most of their year at sea chasing a perpetual summer. Often travelling thousands of miles by land, sea, or air, these animals push the limits of endurance.Īrctic terns ( Sterna paradisaea) are small, plain-looking birds, weighing between 90–120 grams (3.2–4.2 ounces) with a wing span of 64–76 centimeters (25.2–29.9 inches). Every year, millions of animals set out on an epic journey in search of food, shelter, and mating opportunities. Migration is a natural phenomenon observed in species across the animal kingdom, from the tiniest insects to the gargantuan blue whale ( Balaenoptera musculus).