Exceptionally dry weather has caused a historic two-month delay in the annual migration of red crabs from Australia's Christmas Island, where they begin their annual journey from the interior of the region to the sea, where they mate.
Climate change has further hampered annual migration, which was lower this year. The large number of red crabs usually results in road closures on the island because the numbers are so large.
Brendan Tiernan, Threatened Species Field Program Coordinator at Parks Australia, said this was the first year in history that crabs had migrated in February. He confirms that in 2024, the number of cancers will be much lower than usual.
With a population of more than 100 million individuals, the crabs are unique to the island, with most of the land designated as a national park and protected under Australian law.
Migration is where the crabs move from the island off the coast of Western Australia to the ocean, where they mate. The females then remain in burrows near the ocean to hatch their eggs, and the males return inland. Photos from Reuters
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