Why do animals migrate? Part 2

Published: April 1, 2022, 8 p.m.

Many animals undertake remarkable migratory journeys; travelling thousands of miles only to return to same burrow or beach they departed from. Yet, unlike humans, they don\u2019t have digital or paper maps to guide their way, so how are they able to orientate themselves with such accuracy?

In the second part of this migration story, CrowdScience\u2019s Anand Jagatia explores how animals are able to navigate using the sun, stars, smells, landmarks and magnetism to help guide them. Anand journeys to the coast of Florida where he helps to place a satellite tracker on a sea turtle in order to follow the long-distance journeys of these animals. He then visits a lab in North Carolina to meet a team that is recreating the earth\u2019s magnetic fields to examine how sea turtles might be using these forces to find their feeding and nesting grounds.

Anand wades into the hotly contested topic of just how birds may be sensing magnetic fields \u2013 and hears about one of the latest theories that suggests birds eyes may be exploiting quantum physics. The range of navigational tools we encounter throughout the animal kingdom from whales to ants is beguiling, Anand asks what does our increased understanding of these feats might mean for animal conservation as well as human development of mapping systems.

Contributors:\nDavid Godfrey \u2013 Sea Turtle Conservancy\nRick Herren \u2013 University of Florida\nTim Guilford \u2013 University of Oxford\nKen Lohmann \u2013 University of North Carolina\nKayla Goforth \u2013 University of North Carolina\nHenrik Mouritsen \u2013 University of Oldenburg

(Photo: Sea Turtles. Credit: Getty Images)