Current:Home > ContactWatch as massive amount of crabs scamper across Australian island: 'It's quite weird' -TruePath Finance
Watch as massive amount of crabs scamper across Australian island: 'It's quite weird'
View
Date:2025-04-21 10:41:41
- The migration, one of the largest in recent years, is causing traffic delays and closures as crabs swarm roads and buildings.
- The crabs are migrating to the sea so females can release their eggs.
- After mating, female crabs can produce up to 100,000 eggs each.
Millions of red crabs are coming out of their burrows on Christmas Island in Australia to begin one of their largest migrations in years.
With the crabs now moving toward the sea, traffic delays and even road closures have resulted. Lin Gaff, a junior ranger program leader, told ABC News Australia the crabs are inescapable.
"They're across the island and going to all sides and nooks and crannies of it," Gaff said. "It is actually quite weird to have crustaceans running around in your school oval and running into your patio and across your living room floor."
The current migration is one of the biggest in recent years, according to a Parks Australia spokesperson's statement to ABC News. The spokesperson added that the crabs' migration was still in the early stages, with officials still trying to assess the number of crabs involved.
Watch: Mass amounts of bright red crabs migrate on Christmas Island
Video from Christmas Island National Park in Australia shows the bright red crabs along a road, dotting the landscape in red.
"It's shaping up to be a bumper year for the red crab migration!" the national park said in a Facebook post.
Gaff told ABC News Australia that last year's migration season was delayed by almost four months due to dry weather during the migration season.
Why do red crabs migrate?
Female crabs produce eggs three days after mating and stay in their burrows for weeks to let their eggs develop; each one of them can make up to 100,000 eggs, according to the Christmas Island National Parks website
Then, when the moon reaches its last quarter, the crabs leave their burrows and head to the shoreline where they wait for the high tide to turn before dawn. They are moved into the sea by the rising tide and release their eggs before returning to the forest, according to the park.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
veryGood! (789)
Related
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Retailers offer big deals for Black Friday but will shoppers spend?
- Kansas City Native Jason Sudeikis Weighs In On Taylor Swift’s Relationship With Travis Kelce
- Colts owner Jim Irsay's unhinged rant is wrong on its own and another big problem for NFL
- 'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
- South Africa, Colombia and others are fighting drugmakers over access to TB and HIV drugs
- Decision on the future of wild horses in a North Dakota national park expected next year
- AP Week in Pictures: Asia
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Going to deep fry a turkey this Thanksgiving? Be sure you don't make these mistakes.
Ranking
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- Diddy's former Bad Boy president sued for sexual assault; company says it's 'investigating'
- Former Broncos Super Bowl champion Harald Hasselbach dies at 56
- Brazil forward Rodrygo denounces racist abuse on social media after match against Argentina
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- At least 3 dead, 3 missing after landslide hits remote Alaskan town
- Bananas Foster, berries and boozy: Goose Island 2023 Bourbon County Stouts out Black Friday
- Ex-State Department official filmed berating food vendor on Islam, immigration and Hamas
Recommendation
FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
Winner of $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot in Maine sues mother of his child to keep identity hidden
World's richest 1% emitting enough carbon to cause heat-related deaths for 1.3 million people, report finds
Judges rule against Tennessee Senate redistricting map over treatment of Nashville seats
Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
D-backs acquire 3B Eugenio Suárez from Mariners in exchange for two players
Watch man travel 1200 miles to reunite with long-lost dog after months apart
Sam Altman to join Microsoft research team after OpenAI ousts him. Here's what we know.