There is an island off the coast of Australia called Christmas Island. It is a beautiful island covered in mountainous rain forests and full of beautiful greenery, consisting of mostly limestone and volcanic rock. But, once a year this island has what is called an Annual Red Crab Migration.
Every single year, millions of crabs travel to the sea so they can breed. The males head to the sea first, which typically takes 5-7 days. Then the females arrive soon after. When the females arrive, the males are now outnumbered.
The crabs travel start in the forests of Christmas Island, and they head down to the sea.
They all tend to migrate together, millions of them. But it’s a difficult journey, due to the hazards of the world like cars, people, and more.
The females move down to lay their eggs, usually laying eggs within 3 days of mating.
And it gets pretty serious on Christmas Island. They have even built tunnels to make the crab migration safer for the crabs, helping them avoid things such as cars.
Nobody seems to mind the crabs taking over their lives, as it seems to be a way of life on Christmas Island. They understand the importance of this migration.
Signs are everywhere letting everyone know what time of year it is. Spawning can start as early as September and go as late as October. But the typical months for this to happen are October – December.
The local officials will even close off the road to prevent any crabs from getting killed.
According to the National Parks department, the crabs’ breeding is fixed around the phases of the moon and occurs during the wet season in Australia.
More Info: Christmas Island
So if you ever plan on visiting Christmas Island between October and December, be prepared to be bombarded by crabs. You can check out their Facebook page here.