The Migration Process in Bighorn Sheep and Moose

A recent research has provided the first empirical evidence that ungulates (hooved mammals) must learn as to when and where to migrate. They should also maintain their seasonal migration by passing cultural knowledge across generations.

Since long, the researchers suspected that unlike birds, fish and insects, the ungulates learn to migrate from their mothers or other animals in their group. To be more precise, the art of migration comes from their social group than genetically. While conducting the study, the scientists made use of a grand experiment. Due to hunting and disease, a large number of bighorn sheep were lost across their range. In order to re-establish lost herds, wildlife managers initiated translocation programs. The left over bighorn sheep continued their migration. Some of these sheep were released into landscapes where bighorn sheep occurred previously. The conservation effort has been successful in establishing many new "translocated" herds. The translocated animals could not migrate. It was precisely for one reason, i.e. they were unfamiliar with the new habitats. Migration is a phenomenon which requires extended periods for animals to explore the places where they may find nutritious food etc. In recent years, ecologists have learned that ungulates migrate to "surf green waves" of nutritious food, coordinating their movements to graze on plants sprouting along mountain slopes. The scientists wanted to learn that how much time would an ungulate take in learning how to surf green waves of forage plants in their new habitats. The researchers concluded that herds that have been long established and have acquired information over generations could search food in a better way. The study is unique in indicating that habitat quality is best imagined as the physical landscape that animals occupy, in combination with the knowledge they have accumulated about how to use that landscape. This finding has been extremely useful for the conservation of migration corridors.

By: Anuja Arora

Content: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180906141626.htm