On Earth, in water or in the air, animals are capable of traveling thousands of kilometers during great migrations. But the record holder is a bird that can travel more than 2 million kilometers in its life.
Whether to spend the winter warm, find food or reproduce, animals are sometimes forced to leave the land where they live. To do this, they must undertake a journey of several days, possibly be tiring and dangerous because of predators or bad weather conditions. Generally, these large migrations take place over long distances ranging from several hundred to thousands of kilometers depending on the species. But from South America to Australia via Europe and the world’s oceans, which of the reindeer, the red godwit, the gray wolf, the wildebeest, the salmon or other animals travel the greatest distances?
Which animal migrates the greatest distances on land and in water?
On land, it is common to see the migrations of African herbivores as the wildebeest or the zebra. However, the greatest land migrations take place in much colder regions of the globe. Between Siberia and Canada, reindeer and caribou are capable of traveling in a straight line nearly 1,300 kilometers on a single trip. However, researchers have discovered that over the annual distance traveled, the land animal with the greatest migration is the gray wolf and his 7,200 kilometers traveled. In the water, the greatest migratory is the salmon with a journey of up to 3,000 kilometers.
Among migratory birds, notably the Arctic tern, which makes the longest flight?
If certain terrestrial mammals and marine animals can travel more than 1,000 kilometers like reindeer or caribou, birds remain the champions in terms of great migration. Exploiting ascending currents, V-shaped formations as well as the position of the stars to orient themselves, they can undertake a journey from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere without any fear. In this area, the king of the long migration is the arctic tern. Living in the Arctic regions during the summer, it heads to Antarctica or Australia to spend the winter. During this trip of almost 4 months, she can cover almost 38,000 kilometers, or 76,000 kilometers round trip.
What is the largest recorded migration in the world by a red godwit?
Even though other birds can travel between 30,000 and 65,000 kilometers round tripthere are few documented and authenticated examples. However, the Guinness Book of Records updated the record for the longest uninterrupted migration for a migratory animal in early 2023. This improbable travel record is held by a bird: a red barge or Limosa lapponica. Recognizable by its long pointed beak, its speckled brown summer plumage and its long legs, this wading bird left Alaska on October 13, 2022 for its migratory flight. In order to follow his epic journey, he was equipped with a GPS beacon to trace his route. If it landed on the island of Tasmania, it flew continuously for 11 days over a distance of 13,560 kilometers. The old record was held by a bird of the same species having flew 13,190 kilometers without asking yourself.
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