It makes one wonder where the migratory urge comes from in cranes, but we are hoping that if cranes are taught the migration in the fall and shown a place to winter, they will migrate back north on their own in the spring without having to be led a second time by the ultralight. This is one incredible accomplishment and helping us learn how to teach a crane to migrate. As the photoperiod elongates and lessens, telling them it is winter or summer, their internal clocks are stimulated and the cranes move. We also thought that the crane's clocks might be started by the end of the breeding season and the maturing of their young. As you will see during the migrations this spring, there are countless cases where an animal's very survival depends on being at the right place at the right time.
People enjoy discovering examples of their own biological clocks.
These clocks control sleep and energy cycles in interesting ways. In the lesson below, explore the concept of time and your own ability to keep time. Then consider the importance of biological clocks to migratory species. Write a story about the consequences that would result if this animal were to lose track of time. Consider all the activities the animal must do according to daily and annual time cycles.