Magnificent Migration
Migrations occur when species move seasonally for food , reproduction or improved conditions . But they don ’ t stay there — migrations involve a return trip !
Species that migrate — mammals , birds , amphibians , reptiles , fish , crustaceans and insects — follow ancient instincts , traverse continents and oceans , and can travel thousands of miles to their destinations .
Rainforest Trust protects critical habitat for migrating species in the following six projects :
MEXICO Monarch Butterfly Canada / U . S . Mexico
Each fall , Monarch butterflies travel an astonishing 3,000 miles from summer feeding grounds east of the Rocky Mountains in North America to overwintering sites in the mountains of central Mexico . Save Mexico ’ s Biodiversity Stronghold protects a critical stopover site in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains in northeastern Mexico , along the butterflies ’ migratory corridor .
COSTA RICA Scalloped Hammerhead Shark Earth ’ s poles tropical waters
Sanctuary for the Scalloped Hammerheads of Golfo Dulce in Costa Rica provides critical nursery habitat for neonates and juvenile Scalloped Hammerhead sharks . Adults are known to migrate to deeper waters to find food , but much is yet to be learned about their habits .
COLOMBIA Amphibians Non-breeding habitat
Breeding habitat
Secure a Safe Haven for Threatened Amphibians secures habitat for at least 13 threatened species of amphibian . Most amphibians undertake “ micro ” migrations — moving short distances from a mere 6 feet to up to 5,000 feet — no less imperative for their survival since they migrate from drier habitats to flooded areas or small bodies of water to breed .
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