"Every year, millions of crabs emerge from the forest and swarm across roads, streams, rocks, and beaches to reach the ocean, where each female can produce up to 100,000 eggs. The tiny baby crabs that survive take about nine days to march back inland to the safety of the plateau. While Google is seeking environmental approvals for its subsea cables, the timing could prove delicate for Christmas Island's most famous residents."
"Parks Australia notes that while the migration happens annually, few baby crabs survive the journey from sea to forest most years, as they're often eaten by fish, manta rays, and whale sharks. The successful migrations that occur only once or twice per decade (when large numbers of babies actually survive) are critical for maintaining the island's red crab population. How Google's facility might coexist with 100 million marching crustaceans remains to be seen."
The council is examining community impacts before approving construction, with support contingent on the project returning infrastructure, employment and economic value to the island. Millions of red crabs migrate annually from forest to sea; each female can produce up to 100,000 eggs and surviving juveniles take about nine days to return inland. Peak migration periods prompt short-notice road closures and installation of crab bridges to protect the flow. Most baby crabs are eaten by predators and large successful recruitment events occur only once or twice per decade, making those events critical. Coexistence between development and the migration remains uncertain.
Read at Ars Technica
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