Tens of millions of crabs have started their annual migration odyssey on Christmas Island, turning the territory into a red carpet.
The island is located off mainland Australia. Every summer , Christmas Island witnesses this phenomenal event when crabs emerge from their forest shelters and travel to the ocean to lay eggs and breed.
The residents of the Island help these crabs to get to their destination safely by using garden rakes and leaf blowers.
According to Christmas Island National Park acting manager Alexia Jankowski, the Australian island territory hosts around 200 million of the endemic crab, known as Gecarcoidea natalis. And up to 100 million are expected to start their march.
Upon reaching the shores, the male crabs dig out burrows for the females where they spend 2 weeks laying and incubating eggs.
The massive spawning event will take place on November 14 and 15 during the last quarter of the moon.
The second spawning event will occur in mid of December.
The young crabs as tiny larvae spend a month in the ocean. Upon maturity, they return to the Island as small crabs.
