Overview
- Parks Australia reports millions of red crabs are leaving forest burrows and moving to the coast as the annual breeding run gets underway.
- The first rains set the timing, with spawning aligned to the last-quarter moon around November 14–15 when females release eggs at high tide.
- At the shoreline, males dig burrows while females incubate eggs for about two weeks before the synchronized release.
- Island routines shift as traffic pauses, dedicated bridges and tunnels guide crabs, and residents use rakes to clear driveways as crabs cross gardens and enter homes.
- Conservation teams ready backpack leaf blowers to clear tiny returning juveniles from roads about a month after spawning, with the island’s endemic population reported at about 200 million.