TARGET 090429

Hey, Bub!!! We Got the Right of Way Here!!
We're Heading for a Party at the Beach!!!



RightofWay1
RightofWay2
See? I told you we have the right of way!
Ah, to get away from it all and go have some fun (and maybe a little hanky-panky) at the beach. But wait!! The beach is three miles away from here, and we have to walk!! Oh, well - No problem - Let's go!!

Every year one of the most spectacular migrations in nature occurs on Christmas Island, when over 150 million red crabs move from inland shelters to the shore for their annual breeding season.

At the beginning of the wet season (usually October / November), Red Crabs suddenly begin a spectacular migration from the forest to the coast, to breed and release eggs into the sea. Breeding is usually synchronized island wide. The main migration commences on the plateau and can last up to 18 days.

Coming down from the hills
Masses of crabs gather into broad columns as they move toward the coast, climbing down high inland cliff faces, and over or around all obstacles in their way, following routes used year after year for both downward and return migrations.



At the beach
Once at the coast males retreat to the lower terraces and dig burrows. The females then also move to the terraces and mating occurs. The females produce eggs within 3 days of mating and remain in the moist burrows on the terraces for 12-13 days while they develop. The eggs are held in a brood pouch between their extended abdomen and thorax. A single female can brood up to 100,000 eggs!

After about a month in the ocean, and after growing through several larval stages, the surviving larvae have developed into prawn-like animals called megalopae. The megalopae gather in pools close to the shore for 1-2 days before changing into young crabs and leaving the water.

The kids
Although only 5mm across, trillions of baby crabs begin their march inland, taking about 9 days to reach the plateau. Here they seem to disappear and are rarely seen, living in rocky outcrops and under fallen tree branches and debris on the forest floor for the first three years of their life. When they reach adulthood, it is then their turn to go party on the beach.

Video: To see a video of the migration, made by Reality TV,
click here .



FEEDBACK MAP
Feedback map
CHRISTMAS ISLAND, Australia is situated about 500 kilometers (311 miles) south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

Christmas Island got its name when Captain William Mynors became the first European to see it -- on December 25, 1643.

If you got information which is not covered by this feedback, you can gain more feedback at the following web sites:
The Christmas Island Tourism Association
Travel Articles for Publishers
Fun on the net (Pictures)
Crazy Topics Web Page (for whom we owe thanks for much of this matierial)