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Mapping Migrations
Explore the tracks of ocean animals tagged by scientists.
Where do marine animals go during their Pacific migrations? This interactive data visualization reveals the migration pathways of sharks, whales, sea turtles, tuna, and other marine creatures, and lets visitors explore differences in timing, geographic location, and male versus female migration routes.
What’s going on?
At this large, touch-screen exhibit, visitors can choose which animals to follow, and look at how they differ in migration speed, timing, and location. They can also see the differences between male and female migration pathways.
To collect the data displayed in this exhibit, scientists tagged whales, sharks, sea turtles, and other creatures in the Pacific Ocean, then tracked their movements over time. The data has helped scientists make discoveries about where these animals go throughout the year. For example, they've learned that white sharks flock to an area 1,500 miles west of Baja California—known as the White Shark Café.
The data was collected as part of the Tagging of Pacific Predators project, part of the Census of Marine Life.
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This exhibit is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant 1322828. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
