Christmas Island is home for 14 types of land crabs, it is estimated that the number of crabs reaches until 45 millions.
Red Crabs Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Infraorder: Brachyura
Family: Gecarcinidae
Genus: Gecarcoidea
Spesies: G. Natalis
Red crabs suddenly begin a spectacular migration from the forest to the coast. Red crabs migration is to breed and realese eggs into the sea. The migration begins in rainy season, its about October until November. The journey of the migration its about eight kilometers and it takes five until seven days. Usually the male crabs arrived first than the female.
What happen when migrations begins??
After arrived in the coast, the male crabs dig holes. they need to protect the female from other male crabs. The marriage occurs near the hole. After that the male crab leave the holes while the females stay around the holes two weeks for laying eggs. When the females finished laying her eggs, they return to the forest and leave the eggs in the holes.
Crab eggs that have hatched will remain in the sea for three until four weeks. Then the crab children flocked going to the forest to grow there. Crabs are animals that active during the day. so, in the afternoon millions crabs filled the streets, yards, gutters, and even the walls of the building. However, this phenomenon actually attracts tourists. Many tourists intentionally come to watch the red migration. The crabs are directed through the pathway and some roads are closed for all types of vehicles. as you can see it still not a few crabs that die because the heat,trampled, and run over by cars. An estimated 10-15 millions crabs died during the migration period.
