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Journey of the Butterflies

By dr. dolittle on December 1, 2011.

Was anyone able to see the special on Nova "The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies" that aired yesterday? Talk about long-distance migration! Every year, over 100 million newly hatched monarch butterflies travel from southern Canada and the northeastern United States ~2000 miles on a 2 month journey to a single mountain range in Mexico. It is unknown how many survive the perils of the migration or how they know where to go. When researchers moved the butterflies to a new starting point, the butterflies were able to alter their trajectory and still make it to their destination. Unfortunately, illegal logging practices threaten sanctuaries along their route in Mexico. Here is a teaser:

Watch The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies on PBS. See more from NOVA.

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Life Science

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