Their extraordinary march to the edge of the sea to mate and spawn has intrigued nature lovers for years, and this year, unpredictable weather has added a further degree of mystery to the annual migration of Christmas Island’s famous red crabs. Each year nature-lovers from all over the world flock to Christmas Island to witness the crab migration which takes place after the onset of the wet season, and in synchronisation with the cycle of the moon.
However, this year a possible false start to the wet season has created a degree of uncertainty for the crabs.
“Following good rain in late October, the crabs started moving en masse” explained Linda Cash, Christmas Island Tourism Association Marketing Manager, at a special luncheon held in Sydney today to celebrate the island’s famous crab migration.
“However, the crabs need continual moist conditions following the initial rain for 3 or 4 weeks before possible spawning dates, so it’s a now a complete mystery as to when they will now spawn – it will all depend on how much rain we receive over coming weeks – possible spawning dates are 22 November or it may be 23 December,” further explained Ms Cash.
One thing is for certain this is a boost for tourists because it means that if you visit the island in either November or December you will catch some part of the migration.
For more information, log on to Christmas.net.au.
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