This is the story of Christmas Island’s Red Crabs — how they move, survive, and rule the island for just a few weeks every year.

 Off the northwest coast of Australia, deep in the Indian Ocean, lies a small, remote paradise — Christmas Island.

Each year, this island becomes the stage for one of nature’s most extraordinary migrations.

When the first rains arrive, usually around October or November, tens of millions of red crabs (Gecarcoidea natalis) emerge from the forest floor.
They begin a journey that stretches from the heart of the island all the way to the sea — a sea of scarlet life, moving with a single, ancient purpose: to breed and ensure the survival of their species.

Along the way, roads are closed, bridges are built, and people pause — all to make way for this crimson tide.
For a few brief weeks each year, the island belongs not to humans, but to the red crabs.
It is a breathtaking reminder of the delicate balance between civilization and the wild world we share.



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