Migration is a common phenomenon throughout the animal kingdom. Birds, sea creatures, and even some land mammals cover great distances in search of food or milder climates. Keep reading as we offer our top 10 list of animals that travel long distances.
What You'll Learn Today
1. Barn Swallow
Barn swallows are widespread throughout the world, with vagrants even showing up in Antarctica. There are six subspecies of these pretty passerine birds.
Barn swallows breed in the Northern Hemisphere but migrate to much of the Southern Hemisphere in the winter. They don’t all travel the same distances, but the most well-traveled are known to fly from Alaska to Argentina each year.
There is a practical reason for these birds to migrate–they eat large amounts of food each day, so they travel to warmer climates to avoid running out of food in the winter.
2. Arctic Tern
Arctic terns are medium-sized birds up to 15 inches long and with wingspans of up to 30 inches. They are some of the most well-traveled animals on earth.
Arctic terns breed throughout the polar regions of the world but make haphazard journeys to Antarctica for the summer. Since they don’t fly a direct path, their round-trip travels can total more than 44,000 miles each year.
This bird has the distinction of having the longest migratory route of any animal. Its epic journey ensures that it experiences two summers each year and enjoys more daylight than any other creature on the planet.
3. Sooty Shearwater
Sooty shearwaters are seabirds found on islands in the southern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, most notably in parts of Australia and New Zealand.
These birds travel almost as far as Arctic terns, journeying up to 40,000 miles to subarctic regions each summer. Their flight path follows a circular pattern, as they travel up western portions of the oceans and move around to eastern portions on the return home.
It’s unclear why the birds make such a migration, though it is speculated that the journey is prompted by climate change and a search for food.
4. Gray Whale
Gray whales are found primarily in parts of the northern Pacific Ocean. They are a type of baleen whale.
These creatures are constantly in motion, moving from one place to another for mating, feeding, birthing, and nursing. They tend to travel along coastlines and may journey as many as 14,000 miles each year.
Gray whales are the most well-traveled mammals in the world. Their range is expected to expand over time, potentially taking them on even longer journeys in the future.
5. Humpback Whale
Humpback whales are baleen whales more well-known for their singing than their migrations. That said, they get around the oceans almost as well as their cousins, the gray whales.
These whales spend most of their time swimming in polar seas but head to tropical regions in the winter to give birth. They commonly put in over 13,000 miles each year.
Despite these great distances, humpbacks travel at incredibly slow speeds, typically around just one mile per hour.
6. Sea Turtle
There are seven sea turtle species in the world. All of them migrate, with the leatherback turtle covering the greatest distances.
Like other sea turtles, leatherbacks migrate to lay their eggs on sandy beaches. Some of them travel more than 12,000 miles in a year.
These annual journeys are essential for sea turtles’ survival, as all but one species are considered endangered by the IUCN.
7. Elephant Seal
Elephant seals are found in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. These aquatic mammals spend up to 300 days a year swimming the open waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Next to whales, elephant seals travel farther than any other mammal on earth. Their migrational patterns often take them more than 13,000 miles each year.
Elephant seals primarily migrate for the sake of breeding.
8. Great White Shark
Great white sharks are some of the most well-known predators of the sea as well as some of the largest fish.
These sharks make an annual migration from Africa to Australia and back again, traveling nearly 7,000 miles in the process. During their lifetimes, they may travel as many as 483,000 miles, the equivalent of circumnavigating the earth 19 times.
Mating and searching for food are thought to be the primary motivations of these long journeys.
9. Adelie Penguin
Adelie penguins are found along the coasts of Antarctia. Along with emperor penguins, they are the southernmost penguin species in the world.
Adelie penguins move around a lot, primarily following weather changes in order to remain where the sun shines for at least part of the day. They may travel up to 11,000 miles per year.
These flightless birds commonly travel on land or in water in large groups containing thousands of individuals.
10. Wildebeest
Wildebeests are found in parts of eastern and southern Africa. Alongside their African neighbors, the plains zebras, these animals undertake one of the most impressive migrations of any land-dwelling mammal.
Though not all wildebeests migrate, those that do may travel up to 1,800 miles per year. The search for food and surface drinking water are primary factors motivating their journey.
Wildebeests travel in large herds, which are sometimes seen traveling close to herds of zebras and other migratory animals. Check out this short video to see wildebeests and zebras traveling together:
Conclusion
Many animals throughout the world migrate for a variety of reasons. Some animals that travel the longest distances include Arctic terns, sooty shearwaters, gray and humpback whales, and elephant seals.
