The Longest, Most Incredible Migrations In The Animal Kingdom

Even though animals don't have a map or GPS, many of them manage to travel thousands of miles along the same path every year. Some insects, mammals, fish, and even plankton migrate based on the moon, weather, magnetic field, or memory. Many of them manage to travel much farther than most humans can.

Some birds fly from north to south poles, while a species of shark can swim for 100 days without eating. One microscopic animal swims thousands of feet every day. Learn about the most fascinating and impressive animal migrations in the world.

Arctic Terns Literally Circle The Globe

An Arctic Tern is hovering over the nesting colony in southeast Iceland
Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images
Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images

A 15-inch-long (30 cm) bird journeys farther than any other animal in the world. Every year, arctic terns fly from the Arctic Circle to Antarctica and back again: over 44,000 miles (71000 km) round-trip. Since they fly from summer in the Northern Hemisphere to summer in the Southern Hemisphere, they see more daylight than any other creature on Earth.

Researchers have noted that arctic terns live for around 30 years, meaning that they fly over 1.5 million miles (2.4 million km) throughout their lifetime. That's equal to three round-trips to the moon.

ADVERTISEMENT

Monarch Butterflies Migrate For Most Of Their Lives

ADVERTISEMENT
Thousands of monarch butterflies cluster on eucalyptus tree limbs at Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont, California
Yichuan Cao/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Yichuan Cao/NurPhoto via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

In the fall, millions of monarch butterflies leave their breeding homes in Canada and the United States to fly to southern Mexico. Unlike other species, they fly over 3,000 miles (4800 km) and never return. They spend most of their lives on this journey--flapping their wings for 2-3 months in their six-week life span.

ADVERTISEMENT

Since monarch butterflies can't handle colder temperatures, they all fly south to the tropical mountains. According to Sarina Jepsen, director of the Xerces Society for endangered species, these butterflies may go through five generations in traveling back to Canada.

ADVERTISEMENT

Adélie Penguins Chase The Sun

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
A group of Adelie penguins jumping from ice pebble to ice pebble on a beach on the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images
Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

While other animals follow rainfall or food, Adélie penguins trail the sun. During wintertime, these tiny penguins cross the "fast ice" that forms around the Ross Sea off Antarctica. They then waddle back to their breeding spot in the summer. In Antarctica, the winter sun never entirely sets, giving the penguins plenty of warmth and hunting hours.

ADVERTISEMENT

Some Adélie penguin migrations span as far as 8,077 miles (13,000 km). Their breeding colonies can contain over 180,000 nests. Scientists reported that climate change increased Adélie penguin population by 53% because of the shorter journey between land and sea.

ADVERTISEMENT

Dragonfly Migrations Are Longer Than Monarch Butterflies'

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
A Southern Darter dragonfly is pictured in the Israeli Mediterranean coastal city of Netanya.
JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images
JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Dragonflies make the longest migration of all insects, so long that they go through four generations before completing it. Each year, over 50 species of dragonflies cover every continent except Antarctica.

ADVERTISEMENT

Biologists at Rutgers University have discovered that dragonflies follow moist weather, flying over 11,000 miles (18,000 km) over the Indian Ocean from Asia to Africa. Their research, published in PLoS One, suggests that these species have developed wings with higher surface area to soar farther.

ADVERTISEMENT

Jaws Swims Really Far To Get To California

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Great White Sharks seasonally gather off the coast of Guadalupe Island
Dave J Hogan/Dave J Hogan/Getty Images
Dave J Hogan/Dave J Hogan/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Every year, the longest shark in the world swims farther than any other shark. Great whites travel as far as 2,500 miles (4000 km) from California to South Africa in only 99 days. Like many animals, they're willing to migrate incredibly far for a better food supply.

ADVERTISEMENT

For years, scientists wondered how great white sharks travel for so long without food, until researchers at the University of Hawaii uncovered the answer. The sharks' liver stores plenty of blubber, which saves their energy by allowing them to drift dive and remain buoyant.

ADVERTISEMENT

Blue Wildebeest Hike The Most Famous Migration

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Wildebeests, also called gnus or wildebai, migrating through the grasslands towards the Mara River in Kenya
Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images
Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

All year round, over two million blue wildebeest hike across Northern Tanzania and Kenya in what is known as the Great Migration. From north to south, wildebeests walk over 1,000 miles (1600 km) each year in an endless circle.

ADVERTISEMENT

Herds as long as 25 miles (40 km) migrate nonstop to follow rainfall, where the grass will be greener and longer. Safaris, photographers, and predators follow their predictable cycle every year. Their journey has been recognized as one of the "Seven Wonders of the Natural World."

ADVERTISEMENT

Zebras Trot The Longest The Migration Of All African Mammals

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Group of Zebras at savanna in Kenya.
Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Biologists discovered that another mammal beat the wildebeest when it comes to the longest hike from end to end. In the journal Oryx, researchers recorded that over 750,000 zebras traverse almost 300 miles (500 km) from Namibia to Botswana. That's a 63-hour drive farther than the wildebeests' destination.

ADVERTISEMENT

Like wildebeests, zebras follow the African rains for better feeding grounds. But their direct, north-south route surprised scientists. For years, their route had been blocked by fences; as soon as the fences were removed, the zebras resumed their journey. This suggests that they could migrate based on memory.

ADVERTISEMENT

Humpback Whales Swim From Alaska To Hawaii In Thirty-Six Days

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Humpback whales seen in the Avachinskaya Gulf near the Kamchatka Peninsula
Yuri SmityukTASS via Getty Images
Yuri SmityukTASS via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Of all the mammals, humpback whales take on the longest migration in the world. In the fall, they feed in the waters of Japan, California, and the Bering Sea. When the temperature lowers, they swim almost 10,000 miles (16000 km) to Costa Rica and the Philippines for more food.

ADVERTISEMENT

Not all humpback whales migrate at the same time; some leave around January, whereas others embark as late as February. To find enough krill for a stable breeding ground, humpbacks will travel from Alaska to Hawaii in as little as 36 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Largest Turtle Swims The Longest Distance

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Previously unreleased photo of a Leatherback sea turtle, the worlds largest turtle, checking her eggs as she lays them in daylight.
Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images
Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

The biggest sea turtle breed, leatherback turtles swim over 10,000 miles (1600 km) to follow their favorite food, jellyfish. Research in 2012 found leatherbacks nesting in Indonesia, the South China Sea, southern Australia, and the west coast of the United States.

ADVERTISEMENT

Both males and females will always return to their birthplace to breed. Currently, scientists don't know how they calculate their path, but some believe that the light pink spot on their head tracks light or ocean currents.

ADVERTISEMENT

Gray Whales Roam Almost As Far As Humpbacks

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
A family of Gray Whales swim in the waters off the coast of Los Cabos, Mexico City
Marcos Delgado/Clasos.com/LatinContent via Getty Images
Marcos Delgado/Clasos.com/LatinContent via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Gray whales travel almost as far as humpback whales. In the spring, they swim from the shores of Mexico to the Arctic seas every year, traversing 12,000 miles (20000 km) overall. Gray whales use sonar navigation to guide their way, and sound pollution from boats can confuse them.

ADVERTISEMENT

As the ice melts in summer, gray whales can swim there to fatten up for their future breeding season. They then return to warmer waters to give birth. The full migration takes them two to three months.

ADVERTISEMENT

Salmon Travel Through Freshwater And Saltwater

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Red salmon spawning season in Kamchatka, Russia
Yuri SmityukTASS via Getty Images
Yuri SmityukTASS via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Every year, hoards of salmon swim around 3,000 miles (4800 km) to the freshwater rivers where they were born. Why? Because they want to produce offspring in a safe environment that they're familiar with. A single salmon may travel from Japan's oceans to its native Seattle-area rivers.

ADVERTISEMENT

As babies, salmon undergo physiological changes for the first 2-3 years of their lives, so they must be born in fresh water. Recent studies indicate that salmon can sense the Earth's magnetic field and use it to guide their migration. Unlike other species, salmon have inherited this skill, not learned it.