RENOWNED naturalist David Attenborough once described the migration of Christmas Island’s red crabs as one of the world’s great natural wonders, and this year’s crab return is being called the best in 25 years.
Christmas Island is an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, approximately 2600 kilometres north west of Perth, Western Australia.
The island is home to 14 species of land crab, the most famous of which is the Christmas Island red crab (Gecarcoidea natalis).
The red crab’s annual migration to and from the ocean is a drawcard for tourists who come to watch their carpet-like movement across the island.
Roads, rocks and beaches are covered with red when tens of millions of large crabs emerge from forests to spawn and release their eggs into the sea.
It’s a wonder of nature that none other than Sir David Attenborough reportedly regards as one of the most “astonishing and wonderful” sights on Earth.
As many as a third of the island’s famed crabs have been lost to the introduced yellow crazy ant in the past three decades. However, Christmas Island National Park’s chief ranger Rob Muller says that he’s just witnessed the best crab return in at least 25 years.
“When the roads and the beaches and the cliffs turn red with the huge numbers of them, you know that in comparison to other years that it’s a big one.”
What is a red crab ‘return’? It’s the rare culmination of Christmas Island’s famous red crab migration.
After going through several development stages from hatching, the baby crabs emerge from the sea and move inland where they grow to adulthood.
