NEW YORK (AP) – A study that included tracking moose and bighorn sheep with GPS collars says those animals learn about migration routes from others in their herds.
The animals learn about where to find the best food along the way. Researchers found evidence that this cultural know-how is passed through generations, and it improves over the course of decades. These lessons appear to shape the migration routes the animals take in the spring.
The study was released Thursday by the journal Science. It tracked bighorn sheep and moose in Wyoming, Idaho and South Dakota. It compared their migration movements to where they could find the best plants to eat, as revealed by satellite data.
