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Wanderlust: 9 epic wildlife migrations that will leave you speechless

4 min read

Inspiring People
Wanderlust: 9 epic wildlife migrations that will leave you speechless
Source: Pixabay/lesjbohlen

From fluttering butterflies to scuttling crab, and a million wildebeest and zebra on the move, these annual wildlife migrations are on a staggering scale that will blow your mind!

Massive migrations play a vital role in natural ecosystems

Massive animal migrations are among nature’s most awe-inspiring events. Whether by wing, fin or hoof, the distance some creatures will travel in search of a new habitat or an old breeding ground is paralleled only by what they endure to survive. But these migrations also play a vital role in our natural ecosystems — they are the veins and arteries of our planet — and they are a reminder that the world’s habitats are interconnected. Here is a year marked with some of the planet’s greatest animal migrations.

A year in epic wildlife migrations Massive migrations occur in every major branch of the animal kingdom, from birds and crustaceans to insects and whales. But some of these journeys are amazing feats of endurance, spanning thousands of miles and deadly terrain without rest. Source: Facebook/BrightVibes
Monarch butterflies like to escape the cold US winter and fly south to Mexico. They flock in such immense numbers – up to 300 million – that branches of the oyamel trees where they congregate often collapse beneath their weight.
January and February: Monarch butterfly migration, Mexico Monarch butterflies like to escape the cold US winter and fly south to Mexico. They flock in such immense numbers – up to 300 million – that branches of the oyamel trees where they congregate often collapse beneath their weight. Source: NationalGeographic/MedfordTaylor
After the winter feeding in the Arctic, grey whales travel over 8,000 miles south to spend the spring in Baja’s balmy lagoons, where they socialise, mate and nurse their calves, free from worry of predatory sharks and orcas.
February and March: Gathering of the grey whales, Baja, Mexico After the winter feeding in the Arctic, grey whales travel over 8,000 miles south to spend the spring in Baja’s balmy lagoons, where they socialise, mate and nurse their calves, free from worry of predatory sharks and orcas. Source: LiveScience/CraigHayslip (Copyright Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute)
Every spring, 400,000 to 600,000 sandhill cranes (that’s 80% of all the cranes on the planet) congregate along the Platte River in Nebraska to feast on waste grain in the empty cornfields before heading north to their Arctic and sub-Arctic nesting grounds.
February and March: Sandhill cranes, Nebraska, USA Every spring, 400,000 to 600,000 sandhill cranes (that’s 80% of all the cranes on the planet) congregate along the Platte River in Nebraska to feast on waste grain in the empty cornfields before heading north to their Arctic and sub-Arctic nesting grounds. Source: GogoTravelers/BarbGonzalez
During the spring, Flamingos descend in their thousands on Lake Nakuru in Central Kenya, in search of the green algae that fills their stomachs and, paradoxically, gives them their famous coral pink colour — a literal ‘standing’ army of pink as far as the eye can see.
April to June: Flamingo migration, Lake Nakuru, Kenya During the spring, Flamingos descend in their thousands on Lake Nakuru in Central Kenya, in search of the green algae that fills their stomachs and, paradoxically, gives them their famous coral pink colour — a literal ‘standing’ army of pink as far as the eye can see. Source: Wild-WingsSafari.com
Every summer, over 150,000 caribou gather in the fields beside Kongakut River in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to give birth and raise their calves before heading south for the winter.
June and July: Caribou migration, Kongakut River, Alaska Every summer, over 150,000 caribou gather in the fields beside Kongakut River in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to give birth and raise their calves before heading south for the winter. Source: RichardSpener
Every summer, thousands of endangered green sea turtles return to the same remote stretch of Costa Rica's northeastern coast where they were born to laboriously dig a nest in the sand, lay their eggs, and then haul themselves, exhausted, back into the sea.
July to October: Green sea turtle migration, Costa Rica Every summer, thousands of endangered green sea turtles return to the same remote stretch of Costa Rica’s northeastern coast where they were born to laboriously dig a nest in the sand, lay their eggs, and then haul themselves, exhausted, back into the sea. Source: CostaRicaExperts.com
The Great Migration across the Serengeti and Masai Mara sees over 1.5 million zebra and wildebeest follow the rains north in search of fresh grass and water. The dust they kick up can be seen from space and the gathering at the crossing of Masai River is one of the nature’s great spectacles. Who gnu?
August to September: Wildebeest and zebra migration, Kenya and Tanzania The Great Migration across the Serengeti and Masai Mara sees over 1.5 million zebra and wildebeest follow the rains north in search of fresh grass and water. The dust they kick up can be seen from space and the gathering at the crossing of Masai River is one of the nature’s great spectacles. Who gnu? Source: ForthAndWonder.com.au
During the Southern Hemisphere spring, this tiny island 1,600 miles off the northwestern coast of Australia is overrun by more than 50 Million red land crabs, as these palm-sized crustaceans abandon their burrows in the island’s forested interior and head for the coast.
October and November: Red crab migration, Christmas Island, Australia: During the Southern Hemisphere spring, this tiny island 1,600 miles off the northwestern coast of Australia is overrun by more than 50 Million red land crabs, as these palm-sized crustaceans abandon their burrows in the island’s forested interior and head for the coast. Source: LazerHorse.org
Every summer in Antarctica, a long, unbroken line of emperor penguins can be seen marching relentlessly towards the interior. Over 200,000 pairs of them are heading to inland laying grounds, where eggs will be laid and hatched and young chicks raised in the Southern Hemisphere summer.
November and December: March of the emperor penguins, Antarctica: Every summer in Antarctica, a long, unbroken line of emperor penguins can be seen marching relentlessly towards the interior. Over 200,000 pairs of them are heading to inland laying grounds, where eggs will be laid and hatched and young chicks raised in the Southern Hemisphere summer. Source: CoolAntarctica.com
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