Red Crab: Most Obvious Specie Found on Christmas Island

Out of the 14 species of land crabs found on Christmas island, the Red crab is perhaps the most distinctive of them all as you can view millions of these bright, red crabs in the shade of the shores.

Red crabs can be found all over the place although they prefer the moist environment of the rainforest. They can still be found in coastal shore terraces, and even domestic gardens. Their habitat is generally a burrow that they dug from the ground. Red Crabs are solitary creatures and generally only one crab will live in a burrow at a time; they also do not tolerate any intruders which may disturb their peace.

Red crabs are rather large crabs, and can measure up to 12 centimeter across; however, these crabs grow slowly. Their carapace is round and shouldered to protect their internal organs; of course, the hardness of the shell is also a very important aspect. The most mind-boggling aspect of the crab is that their claws are usually of equal size to the whole crab.

Crabs need to molt their shells in order to grow as their hard shells will often restrict them from growing. During the molting process when their shell is still soft, and they are starting to grow out from them, these crabs will also have their mating season.

Red crabs mainly eat fallen leaves, fruits, flowers, and seedlings; however, they are not solely vegetarian. In fact, they will eat other dead crabs and birds as well; however, red crabs are important in the ecology because they eat the fallen leaves and recycle the nutrients contained in the material as their droppings which are left all over the forest floor act as fertilizers. Because red crabs are dominant specie on the forest floor, they virtually have no competition for food.

The most famous aspect of the Red crabs is probably their migration. During migration, hundreds of thousands of crabs migrate from one spot to another, and attracts the interest of national and international visitors. There are so many crabs on the move during migration that sections of the roads where the crabs cross have been known to be closed during peak migration season for the crabs. It definitely is a fun speculation to see!

Red crabs are an interesting bunch with lots to see from their bright colors to their funny appearance. Their annual migration route is definitely a fun tourist attraction as tourists can even walk among them (although you will have to do so very carefully). It is definitely an overwhelming experience!