Going the Distance

Going the Distance!

Today we’re showing you humans that the marathon is a walk in the park for these gold medal distance animals! These amazing creatures travel thousands of miles each year! Let’s give them a round of applause as they take the stand for top distance!

Arctic terns make the longest migration of any animal on earth. They travel from one pole to the other, around 44,000 miles a year.

Gray whales travel the world’s oceans and migrate from Arctic waters that are rich with food to warmer waters to mate and give birth. They travel on average 12,000 miles per year.

We all know the famous monarch butterfly! Those beautiful insects travel 2,000 miles from Canada to Mexico. No one butterfly completes the migration, it is done by several generations. 

Sooty Shearwaters travel 40,000 miles per year. Just losing out to the gold medal in distance to the Arctic tern. Sooty terns start their journey in Ne Zealand and head to the northern hemisphere.

Salmon migrate upstream- against the current. Some species like the chinook salmon travel nearly 2,000 miles during this challenging swim.

Gnus or wildebeest make a 1000 mile migration across the Serengeti in giant herds. They leave the dry plains to find food and water. 

Red crabs of Christmas Island travel from the inland forests to the beach to breed. They migrate in huge groups and go up 3 miles during their journey.