Millions of baby crabs have taken over a small island (4 photos + 1 video)
Christmas Island in Australia has become a temporary home for a huge number of tiny red crabs. They have migrated from the ocean to the forest thickets, where they will grow for several years. 
Millions of baby red crabs have temporarily taken over Christmas Island, Australia. abc.net.au reports.
The baby red crabs flee the sea into the jungle to begin a new stage of their lives. The tiny, translucent crabs are an intermediate stage in the development of this species. They developed from larvae in the ocean and must now return to the forest, where they will grow for about four to five years. Their migration will last about nine days.
According to local resident Monique Grayson, there are so many crabs that it seems as if the island has been covered with a red carpet. An unusually large number of small crabs survived this year. Usually, they are eaten by fish, manta rays, and whale sharks on their way to shore.
To reach the jungle, the crabs will have to climb cliffs, some of which are about 80 meters high. This is the equivalent of a human climbing 100 kilometers.
The survival of red crabs is crucial to the island's ecosystem, so Parks Australia staff assist the baby crabs during their migration. For example, they blow them off busy roads with leaf blowers.
