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How do animals find their way back to the places where they were born?
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Migration
A herd of common wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) migrating across a dusty savanna in Africa. The animal is a keystone species (i.e., a species with a disproportionately large effect on its biological community) in plains and acacia savanna ecosystems from southeastern Africa to central Kenya.
Animals use a variety of sophisticated sensory mechanisms and environmental cues to return to their birthplace or home range, a behavior known as homing. These methods often involve a combination of learned memory and innate biological responses.41
Navigational Cues
- Celestial Navigation: Many animals, including birds, fishes, and certain insects, use the Sun or star patterns as a compass to plot their course. Birds, for instance, utilize an internal clock to compensate for the Sun's movement throughout the day.23
- Geomagnetic Orientation: Some species, such as loggerhead sea turtles and juvenile sockeye salmon, imprint on the unique magnetic field signature of their natal area, allowing them to navigate back as adults.4
- Olfaction: Chemical signatures play a critical role for many species. Salmon imprint on the specific chemical characteristics of their home stream during early development, which they later use to locate their spawning grounds.14
- Landmarks: Visual and topographical clues, such as coastlines or mountain systems, are frequently used by mammals, birds, and fish for orientation, particularly within familiar ranges.25