Natal homing

Have you ever heard the story of the big fish that leaves its home to explore the world but always finds its way back to the same spot to lay eggs? That's kind of what natal homing is like for some animals!

Natal homing is when animals, like salmon or sea turtles, are born in one place but travel far away from that place to find food or grow up, and then return to the same spot where they were born to reproduce and lay eggs.

It's like if you were born in a special house in a city and then you went to school far away, maybe even a different state or country, and then when you grew up and wanted to have babies, you found your way back to that same special house where you were born.

Scientists are still trying to figure out exactly how these animals find their way back to their birthplace, but it's thought that they use things like the earth's magnetic field or the way the ocean currents flow to guide them back. It's pretty amazing how these animals can remember and navigate their way back to one special spot!