MAP

Northern Elephant Seal Migration

Have students look at the satellite tracking data of two seals to determine their migration routes and speeds. Discuss why seals migrate and how scientists learn about their migration, introducing National Geographic Explorer Roxanne S. Beltran as an example of a scientist working in this field of research.

Grades

5 - 12+

Subjects

Biology, Ecology, Conservation, Geography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Physical Geography

Loading ...

Idea for Use in the Classroom

Begin by asking students: Why do you think animals migrate? How do scientists learn about ?

Pair up students and have them examine the video map and speed map representing the migration of two different seals. Ask each pair to record the for each seal and describe the speed at which the seal moved during the migration. Bring the class back together to discuss their findings and answer the original questions in the context of the seals: What do you notice about the migration route of each seal? What do you notice about the speed at which each seal moved during the migration? Why do you think seals migrate?

Ask a student to write the class predictions on the board. Then have students read this article on elephant seals to see whether the class predictions were correct or not. After they are finished reading, ask students the following questions: How did scientists capture this information on video? How did they convert the information to a speed map? How do scientists learn about animal migration?

Have a student write down the class answers on the board. Then introduce students to National Geographic Explorer Roxanne S. Beltran and share her current, ongoing research.

As an extension, ask students which animal migrations they are interested in learning more about. Make a list on the board, and then ask how they would conduct their research. For example, in what way would a scientist study the migration of a bird versus a butterfly?

Credits

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Last Updated

September 3, 2025

User Permissions

For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. They will best know the preferred format. When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource.

Media

If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.

Text

Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.

Interactives

Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives.