7 Incredible Animal Migrations That Will Amaze You ...

Number one of my list of animal migrations is that of the sea turtles. We all know that scene in Finding Nemo where Crush and the baby sea turtles are migrating through the ocean via the East Australian Current, or the EAC. That actually happens in real life. It has even been recorded that some leatherback turtles travel more than 12,000 miles in just 647 days. The most amazing thing about the migration is that they are able to navigate their way back to the beach where they were born to spawn their own offspring - – no sat nav or map required!

When I thought of animal migrations dragonflies didn’t really come to mind. It was only after a little research that I discovered that their migration is actually pretty impressive. Research has only recently discovered how far a dragonfly can travel when they migrate. A group of dragonflies were tracked on a route spanning from India to the Maldives, the Seychelles, Mozambique, Uganda and then back again. Don’t let their size fool you; these are mighty little creatures!

The salmon is one of the most impressive of all the animal migrations. They are able to slip from seawater to freshwater during their travels, allowing them to travel in various routes and reach places that other fish from the sea wouldn’t go. They can swim for hundreds of miles inland through freshwater rivers and streams. You wouldn’t think a salmon could climb a mountain, would you? Some salmon have even been known to ascend mountain streams in an effort to return to the place where they were born.

It isn’t all bats which migrate, but the ones who do really make a big show of it. In Zambia, the straw-coloured fruit bats take off in their millions and flood the sky each year. They fuel their journey by feeding on their favourite musuku fruit. This is a truly spectacular mass animal shift in habitat.

The big toothy beasts travel thousands of miles each year in search for their next meal. It is the Great White Shark which is known for its long distance journeys across wide open waters. Some have been known to swim through the Indian Ocean, between Australia and South Africa, only to come back again before the year is up. Better them to be out at sea searching for their food and not too close to shore!

This migration made by animals is pretty impressive. Pinnipeds, such as sea lions, walruses and seals, all make incredible journeys in the water. Some Pinnipeds have been known to swim the equivalent of a quarter of the way around the world. Walruses migrate through the icy Arctic waters, something which has only just been discovered. It has been recorded that elephant seals make a 20,000 kilometre migration each year and have the ability to dive deeper than any other seal.

There are many marine animal migrations; however, few travel as far as the giant baleen whales. The Gray Whale and the Humpback Whale travel between 14,000 and 16,000 miles each year, making them the jetsetters of the sea. The whales travel to tropical waters during the winter to give birth or find a mate. They then travel back to the colder waters in the Arctic to feed on the fish in the summer months. Their instincts are their on board sat navs. Amazing how they are able to travel so far, and still make their way back to their start location.

I will never stop being fascinated and inspired by the natural world and I am totally in awe of these incredible mass animal movements. Which do you find most incredible?