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Christmas Island, at roughly 135 square kilometers, was named after the day of its discovery ¨C December 25th, 1643 and is home to a large population of red crabs. Sixty three percent of the island is a protected National Park. The park offers the perfect forest ecosystem for the Christmas Island Red Crab, which is endemic to the Cocos Islands and Christmas Island, both in the Indian Ocean. The Red Crabs rely on the rainy season that comes in November or December to initiate their migratory journey from the forests to the coasts. Their timing must be precise because the breeding sequence is also linked to the phases of the moon. Although the Red Crabs live inland, they require a certain level of moisture on their gills to survive.
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