But there is desperation here for the crocs well. Eat well now, and they may survive leaner times for months even a year. It's easy to forget that death is as vital to the herd as life. The young emerge from this brutal baptism stronger and wiser. Ba...
The merciless yellow crazy ants take a terrible toll. But by sheer force of numbers and the inexorable will of their genes, they prevail. That is the fierce logic of migrations. But what is logical for the many can be madness for the few. At the Mara...
Finally, they can rest. For another five months, they will cling to this winter refuge, entering a sort of waking trance of energy conservation. Until the longer days of spring awaken them again to mate and pass along to the young--their migratory im...
Soon there may be violence as males joust to win female affections. But for now, everyone enjoys a touching reunion. The calf, out of his depth among these goliaths, returns to the mentoring eye of his mother. He may not leave her for another 10 year...
Many will drown in their frenzy to launch their eggs seaward. Most years, only a handful of their offspring survive. But sometimes, if wind and sea and luck are with them, a tidal wave of tiny crablings will return to these shores. There is no way to...
On Christmas Island, a different kind of home-coming preparation has begun. The males, though exhausted by their long pilgrimage, are readying snug burrows before the demanding females arrive in search of nursery-ready homes. Having dipped in the oce...
It takes four days for the larva to emerge. It gorges on its own egg case, before turning to tender milkweed. It must grow fat, build up its reserves for the long migration ahead. After two weeks of manic feasting, its body mass now 2,000 times what...
It's a grim end to a short life, but many of the surviving calves will face a more terrifying death. In the Mara River, another migration is culminating. Crocodiles have memorized when and where the wildebeests will try to cross. They have gathered i...
