What is the monster crab on Christmas Island?

Also known as the coconut crab, the robber crab is the world's biggest land crustacean. It can weigh more than 4 kg and measure up to a metre across. Christmas Island has the world's largest and best protected population of these gentle giants, which can live to be more than 50 years old.



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Also known as the coconut crab, the robber crab is the world's biggest land crustacean. It can weigh more than 4 kg and measure up to a metre across. Christmas Island has the world's largest and best protected population of these gentle giants, which can live to be more than 50 years old.

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Christmas Island red crabs are famous throughout Australia and the world for their bright red color and for their spectacular annual migration to the sea. Millions of crabs become rivers of red as they move from Christmas Island's interior rainforests to the ocean to breed and lay eggs.

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Also known as the coconut crab, the robber crab is the world's biggest land crustacean.

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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.

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Christmas Island began appearing on the charts of English and Dutch navigators from the early 1600s. But it wasn't until 1643 that Captain William Mynors of the British East India Company named the island after sighting it on Christmas Day.

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Red crabs - Gecarcoidea natalis Some 50 million red crabs live on Christmas Island – the only place in the world where they are found. These stunning creatures are extremely important to the island's rich biodiversity.

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Yellow crazy ants have spread far across the indo-pacific region often using human shipping and air traffic to migrate into new areas. Image: Wetterer (2005). It is thought that they were accidently introduced to Christmas Island through shipping.

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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.

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Red king crabs are eaten by a wide variety of organisms including but not limited to fishes (Pacific cod, sculpins, halibut, yellowfin sole), octopuses, king crabs (they can be cannibalistic), sea otters, and several new species of nemertean worms, which have been found to eat king crab embryos.

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This species usually measures less than 6 inches across the back and is characterized by large claws. Despite being less meaty than the Dungeness, red rock crab meat is also very tasty. It can be distinguished from the Dungeness by the presence of black on the tips of its claws and by its red coloration.

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