Why do animals migrate? Part 2

CrowdScience

BBC

Science

4.8 • 985 Ratings

🗓️ 1 April 2022

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Many animals undertake remarkable migratory journeys; travelling thousands of miles only to return to same burrow or beach they departed from. Yet, unlike humans, they don’t have digital or paper maps to guide their way, so how are they able to orientate themselves with such accuracy?

In the second part of this migration story, CrowdScience’s Anand Jagatia explores how animals are able to navigate using the sun, stars, smells, landmarks and magnetism to help guide them. Anand journeys to the coast of Florida where he helps to place a satellite tracker on a sea turtle in order to follow the long-distance journeys of these animals. He then visits a lab in North Carolina to meet a team that is recreating the earth’s magnetic fields to examine how sea turtles might be using these forces to find their feeding and nesting grounds.

Anand wades into the hotly contested topic of just how birds may be sensing magnetic fields – and hears about one of the latest theories that suggests birds eyes may be exploiting quantum physics. The range of navigational tools we encounter throughout the animal kingdom from whales to ants is beguiling, Anand asks what does our increased understanding of these feats might mean for animal conservation as well as human development of mapping systems.

Contributors: David Godfrey – Sea Turtle Conservancy Rick Herren – University of Florida Tim Guilford – University of Oxford Ken Lohmann – University of North Carolina Kayla Goforth – University of North Carolina Henrik Mouritsen – University of Oldenburg

(Photo: Sea Turtles. Credit: Getty Images)

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of
0:07.0	Happiness Podcast.
0:08.0	For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want
0:14.4	to share that science with you.
0:16.1	And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley.
0:19.4	I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that
0:25.4	calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:30.3	I think I'm going to hide it out.
0:35.0	Yeah, there's a superstition amongst a lot of fishermen that bananas are bad for fishing day and it's a superstition amongst some sea turtle biologists,
0:46.1	including myself, that we disallow, prevent, prohibit anyone from coming on the boat and bringing a banana. Bananas are bad luck.
0:55.0	It's funny how you're all scientists, but you're still keeping the superstition alive.
0:59.0	Yeah, I love it.
1:00.0	Hello and welcome to Crowd Science from the BBC World Service. I'm Anan Jagatir and
1:07.5	before we get going I just need to check you don't happen to have any bananas
1:10.9	with you right now? Okay good because as you've just heard you won't
1:14.6	be allowed on board if you do. We're on the deck of the RV Lavinia a vessel that's
1:19.6	specially designed for our mission today, capturing sea turtles. It's a flat bottom boat
1:25.1	that's perfect for maneuvering through the shallow waters off the coast of Florida.
1:29.1	So we've got to navigate out the river channel and then into the Gulf of Mexico and then out to our study site.
1:37.0	So are we in the zone now and in the area where you guys are...
1:41.0	This is one of the overwintering sites offshore, the deeper water.
1:46.7	We're joining a team of researchers from the Sea Turtle Conservancy.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.