The monarch butterfly, Danus plexippus, exhibits a yearly migration pattern leading them from North America to Mexico. Navigational mechanisms have been adopted to permit a successful migration. Three of the navigational mechanisms include a sun compass in the cerebral cortex, a magnetic compass in the antennae, and circadian clocks found in the antennae and dorsolateral brain region. Through monarch examinations, the pathways of the circadian clock and sun compass were determined. Polarized light sensed in the eyes travels to the sun compass where the information is process and helps determine the exact time of day and whether the monarch needs to begin flying. The sun compass is present under the presence of light, and the magnetic compass
