Christmas Island, The Migration of Red Crabs

On the small Australian island located in the Indian Ocean, every year on Christmas Island during the rainy season, tens of millions of red crabs move from the inland to the coast to reproduce and lay eggs. This is one of the most impressive animal migrations ever seen.



Red crabs, "gecarcoidea natalis", are a typical species of the area with shells which measure over 10cm. They live within the forests of the island, but with the arrival of the wet season they begin to lay eggs and thus sparks a mass migration to the coast. The breeding season lasts from three to six weeks and runs in full tune with lunar cycles.



The trip to the sea takes at least a week of time and once they reach the coast, the male crabs dig their “nests” to mate with the females. As they lay their eggs, the males return to the island by tracing the same path back. The females incubate the eggs for two weeks and then throughout the high tide spread across the cliff. When the eggs come in contact with the saltwater, they immediately open and after a month they reach full development. Despite measuring just 5 millimeters in diameter, small crabs leave the ocean and begin their march, taking about 9 days to reach land until they disappear in the dense vegetation and until they are ready to mate, repeating the same journey as their predecessors each year.



Christmas Island is a true tropical paradise, which man has only begun to approach in recent centuries.

To avoid the destruction of this natural habitat, 65% of the territory has been declared a protected area with the foundation of the Christmas Island National Park. The park preserves the tropical rain forest and the many endemic species of plants and animals including the red crabs. In order to protect the crabs from being crushed by vehicles, some roads are temporarily closed and enclosures are secured to allow them a safe and partially controlled passage.



Today the red crab migration is considered one of the most popular tourist attractions on the island, but it is not the only one. Christmas Island, with its uncontaminated habitat, offers lush vegetation, beaches hidden between beautiful rocky bays and crystal clear waters where you can swim in the company of peaceful whale sharks. A real eden... still untouched by man.

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