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Follow me to Atlas Obscura to learn about the discovery of this place:    • Discover the Story Behind Mexico's Mo...  
Grab a headset and experience the monarch forest in VR180:    • Mexico’s Monarch Butterfly Migration ...  

The monarch butterfly migration is one of nature’s greatest events. This orangewinged wonder travels up to 4,500 km from all over North America to spend the winter hanging from oyamel fir trees in central Mexico’s mountain forests. I got to go there. Seeing tens of millions of butterflies dangling from the treetops is a truly breathtaking sight. But how does an animal with a brain the size of a poppy seed navigate to this one special place, especially since the last monarchs to make the trip lived 4 or 5 generations earlier? Get ready for an amazing story of science, instinct, and navigation. #nature #monarchbutterfly #migration

Special thanks to:
Dr. Steven Reppert UMass Medical School
Atlas Obscura: @atlasobscura
Jason Goldman: @jgold85
Phil Torres: @phil_torres

Filmed on location at:
La Reserva de Biosfera de la Mariposa Monarca Michoacán, Mexico
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Austin, Texas

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REFERENCES:

Guerra, P. A., & Reppert, S. M. (2013). Coldness triggers northward flight in remigrant monarch butterflies. Current Biology, 23(5), 419423.

Reppert, S. M., Zhu, H., & White, R. H. (2004). Polarized light helps monarch butterflies navigate. Current Biology, 14(2), 155158.

Reppert, S. M., Guerra, P. A., & Merlin, C. (2016). Neurobiology of monarch butterfly migration. Annual review of entomology, 61, 2542.

Reppert, S. M., & de Roode, J. C. (2018). Demystifying monarch butterfly migration. Current Biology, 28(17), R1009R1022.


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