What is the purpose of migrating species?

What is the purpose of migrating species?

In the seasonal changes every year, there will be a very obvious phenomenon of animal migration, which is often a seasonal and periodic activity for animals to adapt to the changes of climate and food and ensure the success of reproduction. This is why they moved from their own place to another area, and after a certain period of time, they returned to the place where they used to live.

This behavior is often accompanied by seasonality. This kind of animals mainly avoid the cold climate, most obviously birds.

In spring and autumn, birds migrate from south to north, and birds are the most representative seasonal migration. Their behavior is mainly to keep warm and avoid casualties caused by cold winter. For example, the black stork, a unique species in New Zealand, can migrate long distances and has superior navigation ability. Whenever the weather turns cold, they will cross the Pacific Ocean and migrate to the north in search of a warmer living environment.

In addition to the migration caused by climate change, some birds and other animals migrate mainly to find more abundant food resources.

Take the North American Red-tailed Falcon as an example. It is a carnivorous bird, but when winter comes, it eats fewer insects, which makes it have no enough food sources, so it has to migrate to Mexico and its coastal areas to find food. In addition, animals that feed on fish and aquatic plants have to migrate to the south after rivers freeze.

In addition to the above two main reasons for migration, there is also an animal that migrates for reproductive reasons. The reason why this animal migrates is often to find a safer and relatively rich place for future generations to reproduce. One of the most typical species is the female green turtle. Whenever childbirth comes, they will leave their habitat, migrate to Ascension Island and other places, dig shallow pits on the beach to lay eggs, and then return to the original coastal areas of Brazil after breeding.