Nothing runs like a deer
September 3, 2018 3:18 PM Subscribe
About five years ago, the longest known mule deer migration was discovered, a 150-mile route in Wyoming (video features soothing music, beautiful landscapes). But the recapture of a collared doe known as Deer 255 showed that the migration corridor is even longer.
These migration routes are passed down from parent to offspring, year after year, generation after generation. Biologist Hall Sawyer describes these ancient pathways as a surprising discovery: "It's 2013, and for large mammals around North America, especially the lower 48, we typically think we kinda know what's going on. And here we have hundreds of animals migrating a hundred and fifty miles across public and private lands right underneath our noses, and we didn't even know about it."
But there was more to the story. Not all deer migrate 150 miles. Some go only short distances. Matt Kauffman, director of the Wyoming Migration Initiative describes the benefits of this strategy: "It’s like a stock portfolio for the herd. You have lots of animals that go places and they can experience different climates. Some will experience a harsh winter, some a mild winter, so from a herd prospective, having a diversity of migratory strategies are like having funds in many different stocks."
But other deer go longer distances ... much longer. One doe, Deer 255, traveled 242 miles — 92 miles more than the previously known migration route. Researchers initially suspected that she may have joined up with another herd, which is uncommon. The other alternative was a return to her starting point, a true migration. But on August 7th, 2016, Deer 255's radio collar malfunctioned and stopped transmitting data. Graduate student Anna Ortega searched so intently for the Deer 255 that she memorized the collar's serial number and radio frequency.
But earlier this year, Ortega and her collaborators recaptured the missing mule deer and confirmed that the doe had indeed made a round trip. Their work established the existence of a migration route from near Interstate 80 to the far side of the Tetons in Idaho.
This aerial video shows some of the land in the migration corridor. Portions of it have been proposed for oil and gas development, with auctions to be held later this month.
These migration routes are passed down from parent to offspring, year after year, generation after generation. Biologist Hall Sawyer describes these ancient pathways as a surprising discovery: "It's 2013, and for large mammals around North America, especially the lower 48, we typically think we kinda know what's going on. And here we have hundreds of animals migrating a hundred and fifty miles across public and private lands right underneath our noses, and we didn't even know about it."
But there was more to the story. Not all deer migrate 150 miles. Some go only short distances. Matt Kauffman, director of the Wyoming Migration Initiative describes the benefits of this strategy: "It’s like a stock portfolio for the herd. You have lots of animals that go places and they can experience different climates. Some will experience a harsh winter, some a mild winter, so from a herd prospective, having a diversity of migratory strategies are like having funds in many different stocks."
But other deer go longer distances ... much longer. One doe, Deer 255, traveled 242 miles — 92 miles more than the previously known migration route. Researchers initially suspected that she may have joined up with another herd, which is uncommon. The other alternative was a return to her starting point, a true migration. But on August 7th, 2016, Deer 255's radio collar malfunctioned and stopped transmitting data. Graduate student Anna Ortega searched so intently for the Deer 255 that she memorized the collar's serial number and radio frequency.
But earlier this year, Ortega and her collaborators recaptured the missing mule deer and confirmed that the doe had indeed made a round trip. Their work established the existence of a migration route from near Interstate 80 to the far side of the Tetons in Idaho.
This aerial video shows some of the land in the migration corridor. Portions of it have been proposed for oil and gas development, with auctions to be held later this month.
This video of a large herd of elk was one of the related videos on Youtube. I wonder how much farther these ones had to go (or had gone) before this video was filmed.
posted by vespabelle at 6:54 PM on September 3, 2018
posted by vespabelle at 6:54 PM on September 3, 2018
Thank you for this post!
How timely - I'm an Australian about to leave home for awhile to drive from LA up to Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Black Hills etc and I am thrilled to watch this story. It's just such an amazing journey and, amongst so many other things to ponder, I am so curious about how these animals can navigate fences? I hope, hope, hope I get to see some of this in action when I am in Wyoming.
posted by honey-barbara at 9:04 AM on September 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
How timely - I'm an Australian about to leave home for awhile to drive from LA up to Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Black Hills etc and I am thrilled to watch this story. It's just such an amazing journey and, amongst so many other things to ponder, I am so curious about how these animals can navigate fences? I hope, hope, hope I get to see some of this in action when I am in Wyoming.
posted by honey-barbara at 9:04 AM on September 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
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I am also betting that Deer 255 is a double agent....
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:57 PM on September 3, 2018 [1 favorite]