What is unique about the crabs on Christmas Island?
What is unique about the crabs on Christmas Island? 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.
Do people eat the crabs from Christmas Island?
Despite its great numbers, Christmas Island red crabs are not considered edible, at least not edible to humans.
What is the largest crab on Christmas Island?
Also known as the coconut crab, the robber crab is the world's biggest land crustacean.
How did yellow crazy ants get to Christmas Island?
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.
Why is it called Christmas Island?
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.