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It’s only fitting that the Australian territory known as Christmas Island is also home to a bright red species of crab. What makes these crustaceans famous is their annual migration to the coast.
This yearly activity is something that has to be seen to be believed, approximately 100 million Christmas Island red crabs emerge from the forest and make an exodus to the coastline to breed. During this natural phenomenon, it’s not uncommon for roads to shut down as they flood with crabs.
Your best chance to witness the migration comes around October and November. The clever crabs wait for the start of the wet season and its moist, overcast conditions before making their move. Males lead the charge to the beach and arrive on the island’s shores after a 5-7 day journey. As the females make their trek, males dig burrows in which they will mate.
Three days after mating, a single female can produce as many as 100,000 eggs, which then develop in under two week’s time.
During your locum assignment Down Under, make your way to the Christmas Island settlements of Flying Fish Cove or Drumsite to see the mother crabs release their eggs into the sea.