11 publishers · first seen Tue, 03 Nov 2026 05:01 UTC · updated Thu, 05 Nov 2026 11:20 UTC
Scientists are attaching tiny tracking devices to hundreds of monarch butterflies to better understand their migration routes and stopover locations. These solar-powered radio tags, developed by Cellular Tracking Technologies, are helping researchers gather data on the butterflies' journeys, which span about 3,000 miles from Canada and the northern United States to central Mexico. The tracking aims to provide insights into the monarch's migration patterns, which could aid in conservation efforts as the species faces threats from habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change.
Rebeca Quiñonez-Piñón, a senior scientist at the National Wildlife Federation, leads a study that combines real-time tracking with community science to map monarch migrations in Texas. The public can follow the progress of individual butterflies through the free app Project Monarch Science. The research has already revealed new migration paths, including monarchs traveling from Utah to Mexico and others migrating from the Eastern Seaboard to Florida and then across Mexico, connections that were previously unknown or hypothesized but not proven.
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