Christmas Island, located just below the equator in the Indian Ocean near Australia, is very interesting to naturalists. One reason is because of the unusual birds that live there. Two of these — the frigate bird and the golden bosun — are not found anywhere else in the world.
In addition, there are more than a dozen varieties of crabs. One is called the red crab because of its bright red color. It’s a harmless creature with a body about the size of a man’s hand.
The life habits of red crabs are unusual and among the most amazing of all inhabitants of that island, or the entire world for that matter. It is estimated there are about 30 million red crabs on the island. There used to be many more, but an ant called the yellow crazy ant was accidentally introduced to the island, and it has destroyed about 10-15 million of them.
Most crabs live in oceans or on ocean shorelines, but the red crabs prefer living among the trees of a rain forest high on the island, a long way, for a crab, from the salt water. They maintain the moisture they need to survive by making their homes in burrows in the soil among the tree roots. During the cool part of the morning and evening, they come out to feast on the constant accumulation of flowers, fruit and tree leaves that fall to the ground. They also eat snails, dead birds or insects that they occasionally come across. During some feeding hours, the forest floor looks like a huge red carpet spread among the trees.
After the first rain of the rainy season, usually in November or December, the red crabs follow an irresistible urge to go to the ocean, their most interesting event of the year. During this time (if the rain comes in time) the entire adult population of about 30 million crabs, led by the males, start out in a long, stretched-out mass, on a migration of five to eighteen days. If the rain comes too late, some crabs will wait until the following month. Those migrating need to get to the ocean to spawn before daybreak on a very exact day. This day is always during the last quarter of the moon on a receding high tide. The speed of their travel depends on how close the first rainfall is to this exact morning. Their goal is the ocean around 2½ to 5½ miles away. If they have time, they may travel slowly with time to stop to eat and drink along the way.
Do you think God is aware of these red crabs as they undertake this long trip? Indeed He is, for they are part of His creation. This Bible verse assures us He is looking after them: “Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou hast made ... the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and Thou preservest them all” (Nehemiah 9:66Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee. (Nehemiah 9:6)). He is watching over you, too!
(to be continued)
Messages of God’s Love 7/3/2022