TheGreatGlide

Whatdoesananimaldowhenitdoesn’tknowitsmigratorypath?Thewhoopingcranefacedthisproblem.Thesebirdswerenearlyextinctduetohuntingandlossof habitat.

Cranesareexcellentnavigators.Theylearnfromtheirparentstofollowwell-definedpaths.Butby1941,therewereonly15whoopingcranesleftintheworld.

Scientistsbroughtupthosenumberstomorethan400cranestoday.Still,theyhadaproblem.Howdoyouteachchicksraisedbypeoplehowto migrate?

Asolutionwashatched.Youngbirdsweretrainedtofollowsmallaircraftthatguidedthemalongasaferoute.Thesebirdsaresosmart,theyonlyneedtobeshownonce.Havingmadeaone-waytripwiththeirguides,theywereabletoreturnontheirown.Now,thecranescanteachtheiryoung!

Millionsofanimalsmigrate.Theyusedifferentwaystohelpthemgetwherethey’regoing:Earth’smagneticfield;thesun,moon,andstars;physicallandmarks;evensmells.Whatevertoolsanimalsuse,theirabilitytomigratehelpsthemsurvive.