Which animal travels the most kilometers? The most extraordinary journeys of the animal kingdom

A butterfly that travels from Canada to Mexico to hibernate and reproduce, a whale that holds its species' record with 22,500 kilometers of travel across the oceans, or the arctic tern, a bird that -attention, spoiler- holds the longest migration in the animal kingdom. Now that spring is beginning and with it many species are on the move, we explain the main migratory routes of planetary fauna. The highways of wildlife.

Monarch butterfly

Danaus plexippus

• Population: Millions, the species shows a hopeful recovery after years of decline.

• Distance: 4,800 km.

• • Route:September-October: The supergeneration departs from Canada and the northern USA.
• November-March: They arrive in Mexico and the southern United States to spend the winter and reproduce there.
• March-April: Migration back north.
• April: Halfway there, in the center of the United States, they lay their eggs and die.
• April-May: Their descendants continue the journey north.
• May-September: Diverse generations feed and reproduce in the north before starting the cycle again.

Eastern Pacific Gray Whale

Eschrichtius robustus

• Population: NOAA estimated in 2025 about 13,500 individuals, although it is the lowest figure since the 70s.

• Distance: About 16,000-22,000 km (round trip).

• • Itinerary:May-September: They feed in the cold, food-rich waters of the Arctic.
• September-October: They march south and travel at about 8 km/h.
• December: They arrive in Baja California (Mexico).
• December-March: Breeding season in the warm southern waters.
• February-April: Migration back to the Arctic region.

Atlantic Leatherback Turtle

Dermochelys coriacea

• Population: Some 30,000 in the Atlantic (listed as endangered, although at a lower level than in other parts of the world).

• Distance: 10,000-12,000 km.

• • Migration:March-July: Nesting in Brazil, the Caribbean, West Africa. They mate at sea and females go to lay eggs starting in May on the coast. They spend 10 days at sea between one egg-laying and the next.
• July: The little turtles come out of their eggs and enter the sea.
• August-September: Migration north to the east coast of the USA, Canada or Europe, for feeding.

Serengeti Nyu

Connochaetes taurinus

• Population: Approximately 1.5 million.

• Distance: Up to 1,000 km in an annual circuit.

• • Itinerary:January-March: They appear in the southern plains of the park.
• May-July: Heading north in search of fresh water and pastures.
• August-October: Mara River Crossing and stay in Kenya.
• October-November: Return to Southern Serengeti.

Humpback Whale

Megaptera novaeangliae

• Population: 84,000.

• Distance: Approximately 18,000 km.

• • Itinerary:April: Feeding in polar regions.
• April-June: Migration to equatorial regions to breed in warmer waters.
• July-Sep: Breeding season on the coasts of Colombia, Brazil, Gabon, Somalia or Australia.
• October-November; Return to cold waters to feed.

Arctic Tern

Sterna paradisaea

• Population: More than 2 million.

• Distance: 80,000-90,000 km (round trip)

• • Itinerary:May-August: Breeding season in the Arctic during the boreal summer, when there are almost 24 hours of sunlight.
• August-November: Southward migration on S-shaped routes.
• November-February: In Antarctica during the austral summer to spend the winter there seeking the maximum hours of daylight.
• February-May: Northward migration.