What is the strange creature on Christmas Island?

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. 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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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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Christmas Island's mass red crab migration is one of the most incredible natural processes on Earth. Every year, millions of these large crabs emerge from the forest and make their way to the ocean to breed, swarming across roads, streams, rocks and beaches.

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These toxins occur naturally in the shellfish's viscera, which are usually discarded. Those who enjoy cooking and eating crab should simply take precautions not to eat the viscera, located under the crab's back, and avoid using whole crabs in soups and other dishes.

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The island's phosphate mining heritage brought workers here from all over the region. Today Christmas Island has around 2000 residents.

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Red crabs, thought to live as long as 20 to 30 years, are the only species of land crab where both females and males migrate to breed. In other land crab species, only the females march to the coast to deposit their eggs into the sea after mating inland. This mass migration is also tied to the lunar schedule.

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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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Nicknamed the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean, the island is famous for its red crabs, sea birds, whale sharks and spectacular coral reefs. Closer to Asia than mainland Australia, it's home to a captivating mix of cultures and some of the world's most spectacular natural wonders.

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An internationally renowned seabird rookery, Christmas Island attracts about 80,000 nesting seabirds every year. These include the world's rarest booby and frigatebird.

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Christmas Island is the peak of a steep basalt volcanic seamount that rose 5000 metres from the ocean floor about 60 million years ago. The highest point of the island is Murray Hill, at 361 metres above sea level.

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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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Swimming at beaches is only recommended at Flying Fish Cove under calm sea conditions.

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Since the detention centre was built on the island in 2006, the island population of about 1,500 locals has jumped dramatically. Mr McDonald says the cost of living is now estimated at about 180 per cent above that on the mainland. An iceberg lettuce at the local store can cost as much as $12.

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