Migration Nation Animals on the move!

The caribou (Sometimes called reindeer!) In summer caribou live in the tundra. They eat grass, shrubs, and berries.

In the fall… Thousands of caribou walk hundreds of miles to gather on the arctic plains, gaining strength for the long winter ahead. by permission: Saskatchewan Interactive Those specks are all caribou!

Courtesy of Saskatchewan Interactive In the winter… Caribou migrate from the arctic tundra to forests where they will be more protected from the harsh weather. Caribou must live through extremely hard conditions: cold, a lack of food, only a few hours of sunlight each day. Courtesy of Saskatchewan Interactive

Locust (like a grasshopper!) Courtesy of Fliegel Jezerniczky Expeditions: www.fjexpeditions.com/frameset/florafauna.htm Image courtesy of Fliegel Jezerniczky Expeditions: www.fjexpeditions.com/frameset/florafauna.htm

Information about locusts In some African deserts, there can be up to 80 million locusts per square km! Locusts have been known to travel up to 5,000 km (3,100 miles)! Locusts often are carried by the wind. When locusts start to swarm, they can destroy a whole field of crops in a matter of minutes. Want to see what a swarm looks like?

A swarm of locust in Africa. Run for it! Photo source unknown

The Swainson’s hawk The Swainson’s hawk is one of the largest hawks in North America. Swainson’s hawks eat insects and small rodents.

The Swainson’s hawk’s migration Did you know… The Swainson’s hawk migrates from North America to South America? Some hawks fly up to 15,000 miles on their migrations!

How far was that again? From here To there Wow! What a journey!

The green sea turtle Green sea turtles follow an underwater migration route that can be as long as 2,300km (1,400 miles). That’s a long swim!

After swimming for over 1,000 miles, the females come ashore to lay their eggs. These mama turtles lay eggs on the very same beaches where they were born about 10 or 15 years earlier!

Will these cool turtle tracks one day be a thing of the past? Sea turtles as a group are generally declining in numbers because of human destruction and alteration of their breeding grounds. Will these cool turtle tracks one day be a thing of the past?