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Flamingos, Yucatán Peninsula
Photograph by Robert B. Haas, National Geographic
A shifting flock of flamingos assumes a whimsical shape in the Gulf of Mexico.
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Monarch Butterflies, Mexico
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic
Millions of monarch butterflies travel to ancestral winter roosts in Mexico's shrinking mountain fir forests. Surfing winds from southern Canada and the northern U.S., they travel thousands of miles, taking directional cues from the sun.
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White Pelicans, Mississippi
Photograph by Annie Griffiths, National Geographic
White pelicans are among the largest Mississippi Flyway migrants. At an average weight of 16 pounds (7 kilograms), they rely on a nine-foot (three-meter) wingspan to enable flight at very high altitudes. They use a unique fishing technique, cooperatively herding fish into small areas on the surface where the pickings are easy.
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Zebras, Botswana
Photograph by Robert B. Haas, National Geographic
In Botswana, one of the largest zebra migrations on the continent takes place each year, as some 25,000 zebra follow the rains and cross from the Okavango Delta to the Makgadikgadi Salt Pan grasslands to the southeast, stopping at hundreds of water holes along the way and eventually returning westward to the Okavango Delta.
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Wildebeests, Zambia
Photograph by Chris Johns, National Geographic
A dust storm of migrating wildebeests pounds through Zambia’s Liuwa National Park.
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Pacific Salmon
Photograph by Randy Olson, National Geographic
Six Pacific salmon species migrate back to Russia’s remote Kamchatka Peninsula to spawn, their shapes and colors changing dramatically as they move into fresh water. Sockeye, the most valuable kind, dominates traffic in the Ozernaya River.
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Walruses, Svalbard
Photograph by Paul Nicklen, National Geographic
Tusks of all lengths suggest a mix of ages among these walruses, part of Svalbard's peak summer count of some 2,600. By the early 1900s ivory hunters had nearly wiped out Norway's herds. Protected since 1952, the population is still recovering.
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Gentoo Penguins, South Georgia
Photograph by Paul Nicklen, National Geographic
A squadron of gentoo penguins wings through the waters of Drygalski Fjord. Unlike true Antarctic penguins, the gentoo prefers more temperate climes. As oceans warm, this species is prospering, expanding its range southward.
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Snow Geese, New Mexico
Photograph by Ralph Lee Hopkins, National Geographic
Snow geese in New Mexico’s Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge flock along the Rio Grande,
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Elephant Seals and King Penguins
Photograph by Paul Nicklen, National Geographic
Giant petrels patrol the beach at St. Andrews Bay, thronged by king penguins and elephant seals. During the breeding season South Georgia hosts the densest mass of marine mammals on Earth.
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