Department of Migration

 

Myriads of organisms travel great distances on their search for suitable food, wintering and mating grounds. Our planet resembles one large pulsating organism, in which all of the organisms that are continually moving are breathing life into it. Understanding this pulsating life and its underlying mechanisms allows a better understanding of the ecologically dynamic processes on a global scale.

We strive to understand and predict which decisions animals will make on their journey, how animals will interact with their ever-changing environment, and the consequences their migrations have on ecosystems and humans. Above all, this insight will enable us to predict the impact that we humans have on these processes and allow us to understand the future consequences.

Research - The Migration Groups

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bats

ICARUS flies with new wings

January 13, 2025

With ICARUS 2.0, the space-based animal tracking system launches plans for a dedicated fleet of five CubeSats in low Earth orbit
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Bat in tree

Scientists use ultra-light sensors connected “like cell phones” across Europe to study how bats migrate over the continent more

Book cover

Give animals a voice

October 22, 2024

A picture book, based on the science of animal disaster forecasting, inspires children to listen to animals more

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In the Media

Mongabay

Smart tags reveal migratory bats are storm-front surfers more

Smithsonian Magazine

Bats Hitch a Ride on Storm Fronts When Migrating, Saving Energy by ‘Surfing’ Through the Sky, Study Finds more

The Next Web

Space-based wildlife tracker ICARUS gets new wings after split with Russia more

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