Red crabs are native to Christmas Island, Australia. The central plateau of Christmas Island is dominated by strands of rain forest. The island has a tropical climate and experiences both a wet season (December through April) and a dry season (May through November).
More than 120 million red
crabs
can be found on the rain forest floor of Christmas Island. Red
crabs
live alone in dirt burrows, or deep rock crevices.
Crabs
stay in the shade of their dwelling for most of the year. In October or November, when the wet season is about to return,
crabs
begin their migration to the shore. This timing coincides with the lunar cycle and the tides.
This video documents the second stage of the red
crab
migration
, after the
crabs
have mated and before the eggs hatch in the ocean. At the start of this stage, females brood their eggs in dirt or coastal rock
burrows
for 12 to 13 days. A female red
crab
can lay up to 100,000 eggs, which she holds in her abdominal sac. With the arrival of the waning moon, females make their way into the sea. In what looks like a dance, females brace themselves at the waters edge, and release their eggs.
