Absolutely fascinating read! I had heard of bird and animal migration over long distances; not about monarch butterflies that cover 4000 miles roundtrip! From Canada, across the US to Mexico and back up north. Who'dve thunk it?!
Can you imagine their less-than-pea sized brains guide them in this amazing endeavor? It's not like they learn from its parents. With a life expectancy of nine months, ma and pa butterflies don't live long enough to take them on this trip even once!
Check out http://www.monarchwatch.org/
A quote from the NYT article:
"But those lifting off anywhere from Montana to Maine must aim themselves carefully to avoid drowning in the Gulf of Mexico or hitting a dead end in Florida. The majority manage to thread a geographical needle, hitting a 50-mile-wide gap of cool river valleys between Eagle Pass and Del Rio, Tex".
1 comment:
You are right, it is amazing. The migration pattern of Arctic tern is also incredible! 24,000 miles traversing from north pole to south pole every year!! I feel a false sigh of relief that it is more to do with instinct than will power, at least as we know it of now.
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