Christmas Island Red Crab Migration

Red crab migration when where and why.

Christmas island red crab migration. Christmas island s mass red crab migration is one of the most incredible natural processes on earth. The crabs breeding timetable is fixed around the phases of the moon. But we can never be sure when the wet season is going to begin. Although restricted to a relatively small area an estimated 43 7 million adult red crabs once lived on christmas island alone but the accidental introduction of the yellow crazy ant is believed to have killed about 10 15 million.

It s a truly spectacular sight that world renowned naturalist sir david attenborough described as one of his greatest tv moments. Christmas island red crab migration. The christmas island red crab gecarcoidea natalis makes an impressive annual migration across christmas island an island named for the day it was discovered in 1643 read more about the great migration. Amazing annual breeding migration of the christmas island red crab every year at the beginning of the wet season usually during october november most adult christmas island red crabs suddenly begin a spectacular migration from the forest to the coast to mate and for the females to then release eggs into the sea.

Spawning the dropping of their eggs into the sea must occur before. It is estimated that 40 50 million of these bright red land crabs live in their preferred shady sites all over the island. Gecarcoidea natalis pocock 1888 the christmas island red crab is by far the most obvious of the 14 species of land crabs found on christmas island. Most of christmas island s adult red crabs begin their breeding migration to the sea as soon as the wet season rains have established.

Every year millions of these large crabs emerge from the forest and make their way to the ocean to breed swarming across roads streams rocks and beaches. Their journey from forest to coast begins in the rainy season a. Every year tens of millions of christmas island s endemic red crabs travel from the rainforest to the shore and return on an annual breeding migration that is.