Witness Mother Nature In-Person: The 45-Million Strong Red Crab Migration

It’s pretty spectacular how Mother Nature can blow your mind with even the smallest things. Recall the first time you stood in awe, as snowflakes drifted past you in on an enigmatic winters day. Or, when sun’s brilliance enhanced the beauty of the flowers in the park. Heck, even the terrifying lightning racing through the clouds on a stormy night is a sight to behold!

Now picture this: 45-million endemic Christmas Island Red Crabs in migration season scrambling from the lush forests to the oceanic world. Christmas Island is a remote Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, which is home to millions of these little critters and this annual, but rarely documented phenomenon!

For most of the year, these land crabs stay burrowed in Christmas Island’s lush damp forests to preserve body moisture and protect themselves from harsh sunlight (Australia’s sun is a killer!).

But when the last quarter of the year – between October to December – comes round, they emerge from their forest shelter to march to the sea to spawn near the coastal waters. These bright red residents wait patiently for a precise alignment of the rains, moon cycle and tides to commence their journey.

Here’s a closer look at one of the lil’ crabs, where the black eggs are visible on her lower abdomen!

For most of us, it’s nearly impossible to witness this awesome phenomenon first-hand. Even if you were to buy a plane ticket to the Down Under, you’d have to drive more than 5 painful hours just to reach the locale.

But hey, we are living in the 21st century – which means there’s Google Street View! The awesome folks at Google have blessed us with a crisp-clear look at the peculiarity with the Street View Trekker. You will actually be able to feel like you’re walking right beside the red crabs as they migrate unimpeded.

Presenting Dr. Alasdair Grigg on behalf of Parks Australia, who is carrying the Street View Trekker to collect imagery of this yearly miracle for all to see.

Wherever you are in the big blue marble, you’ll soon be able to experience the Christmas Island Red Crab migration and its grand finale (the spawning of baby red crabs) on Google Street View. We invite you to join this marvelous march — and see why this phenomenon is one of the most astonishing and wonderful sights you can ever experience.

You can expect to see the imagery from this collection on Google Street View in early 2018, so stay tuned!

Photos courtesy of Google.