Intro
[Music]
the red crabs of christmas island
for most of the year they hid below
ground
feeding on rotting leaves
but now with the monsoon and rising
humidity
they begin to march
Spawning
[Music]
it’s time
to spawn
[Music]
the forest is a colossal assault course
[Music]
and the neighbors are indignant at the
sudden swarm
[Music]
a nesting booby
is best avoided
[Music]
but the crabs face a more insidious
danger
suffocation
suffocation
crabs
even land crabs
breathe with gills that must remain
moist
they can only attempt this journey when
the monsoon brings damp air
but every time the clouds part
water evaporates
and it becomes increasingly difficult to
breathe
monster size
but that’s not the end of their troubles
monster size rubber crabs
their legs span up to a meter across
and with little competition
they have become the top predator
[Music]
so
[Applause]
[Music]
outro
but no matter how many they kill
they won’t dent red crab numbers
there are just too many of them
[Music]
the island’s entire population
over 45 million of them
are on the march
[Music]
you
