Once a year a small island becomes a scary place for tourists as it gets covered by millions of migrating crabs.
Christmas island is a small, mountainous island that’s located off of the cost of Australia. For most months out of the year, it is a beautiful paradise, with dense forests and beautiful coastlines.
However, once a year, it becomes of a living nightmare, covered in a literal flood of snapping red pincers. (Although, it may be a good thing if you like seafood…).
Every year, during the breeding season, countless red crabs journey to the sea so that they can breed. The crabs travel from the forest to the coast, and usually the migration is synchronized across the entire island.
Which can sometimes make getting around a little difficult. The females go to the sea to lay their eggs…
And as terrifying as it looks, the Christmas Island locals consider millions of crabs taking over their homes completely normal.
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. To help the crabs during the migration and reduce the number of crabs accidentally killed, locals close off roads. Because, believe us, there are a LOT of crabs.
There are “crab crossings” placed all around the island, and the humans that live amongst the crabs do their best to protect them. There are even tunnels constructed to help with the crab migration.
So if you’re ever on Christmas Island between the months of October and January, you might want to prepare yourself to see some (millions) of crabs.
Christmas island is a small, mountainous island that’s located off of the cost of Australia. For most months out of the year, it is a beautiful paradise, with dense forests and beautiful coastlines.
However, once a year, it becomes of a living nightmare, covered in a literal flood of snapping red pincers. (Although, it may be a good thing if you like seafood…).
Every year, during the breeding season, countless red crabs journey to the sea so that they can breed. The crabs travel from the forest to the coast, and usually the migration is synchronized across the entire island.
Which can sometimes make getting around a little difficult. The females go to the sea to lay their eggs…
And as terrifying as it looks, the Christmas Island locals consider millions of crabs taking over their homes completely normal.
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. To help the crabs during the migration and reduce the number of crabs accidentally killed, locals close off roads. Because, believe us, there are a LOT of crabs.
There are “crab crossings” placed all around the island, and the humans that live amongst the crabs do their best to protect them. There are even tunnels constructed to help with the crab migration.
So if you’re ever on Christmas Island between the months of October and January, you might want to prepare yourself to see some (millions) of crabs.
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