Page 140 - The Miracle of Migration in Animals

THE MIRACLE OF MIGRATION IN ANIMALS

Orientation Techniques

Fish migrating from ocean to ocean make use of a number of dif-
ferent methods to navigate. Research conducted on coral reef fish has
shown that they use coral outcrops to find their way. Scientists estab-
lished that the fishes’ regular migration route went over a particularly

prominent piece of coral or rock, and when the rock was moved to a
different position, the fish changed their route accordingly. Those
species of fish migrating along the shore probably use a similar
method to determine their route, swimming parallel to the shore and
tracing the shape of the coast.
In common with animals that migrate overland and in the air,
some fish also navigate by making use of the Sun. A number of fish
use this method when swimming from where they shelter at night to

their feeding places close to the shore. When parrotfish are deposited

Migration route of
tuna

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