Current:Home > NewsWatch as massive amount of crabs scamper across Australian island: 'It's quite weird' -WealthPro Academy
Watch as massive amount of crabs scamper across Australian island: 'It's quite weird'
View
Date:2025-04-12 03:58:57
- 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 [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
veryGood! (82234)
Related
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom to make a one-day visit to Israel en route to China
- Too much red meat is linked to a 50% increase in type 2 diabetes risk
- The US Supreme Court notched big conservative wins. It’s a key issue in Pennsylvania’s fall election
- British golfer Charley Hull blames injury, not lack of cigarettes, for poor Olympic start
- Teen reaches $1.9 million settlement after officer shot him in gun battle with bank robbery suspect
- Hurricane Norma weakens slightly on a path toward Los Cabos in Mexico
- Most in the US see Mexico as a partner despite border problems, an AP-NORC/Pearson poll shows
- Clay Aiken's son Parker, 15, makes his TV debut, looks like his father's twin
- Former officer who shot Breonna Taylor points gun at suspect during arrest in new job
Ranking
- Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
- Hollywood’s actors strike is nearing its 100th day. Why hasn’t a deal been reached and what’s next?
- Cherelle Griner Honors Wife Brittney Griner in Birthday Tribute Nearly a Year After Captivity Release
- A composer's surprising decision to be buried in a mass grave
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Rob Kardashian Reveals His NSFW Reaction to Scott Disick’s Sex Life
- Aid deal brings hope to hungry Gaza residents, but no food yet
- Workers at Mexico’s federal courts kick off 4-day strike over president’s planned budget cuts
Recommendation
Your Wedding Guests Will Thank You if You Get Married at These All-Inclusive Resorts
Gwen Stefani's 3 Kids Are All Grown Up at Her Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony With Blake Shelton
Watch: Meadow the Great Dane gives birth to 15 puppies in North Carolina, becomes media star
NFL Week 7 picks: Will Dolphins or Eagles triumph in prime-time battle of contenders?
Tony Hawk drops in on Paris skateboarding and pushes for more styles of sport in LA 2028
Daddy Yankee's reggaeton Netflix show 'Neon' is an endless party
More Americans make it back home, as flights remain limited from Israel
California's annual statewide earthquake drill is today. Here's what to know about the Great ShakeOut.