Discover Christmas Island: Top 13 Fun Facts You Didn't Know About This Enchanting Destination

1. Hipster Seabird Sanctuary

Birds of a feather flock together, unless they're hipster seabirds who prefer a private island: Christmas Island is exclusive real estate for the Abbott's booby, an endangered bird species that only nests on the island – sporting a stylish blue-green beak and white plumage, like a chic fashionista! This avian rarity compelled the creation of the island's national park to maintain the posh nesting grounds of these birds, as a tribute to the trendsetting British naturalist, William Louis Abbott.
Source => parksaustralia.gov.au

2. Red Crab Traffic Jam

Imagine being on a highway, not of cars, but of millions of crabs scuttling in unison, creating what might be the most outrageous crustacean traffic jam: This extraordinary phenomenon takes place on Christmas Island during the rainy season, as the red crabs migrate from the rainforest to the sea, overcoming obstacles with surprising dexterity, to breed. A female Christmas Island red crab can lay up to 100,000 eggs, adding to this spectacular red ocean of tiny crustaceans.
Source => kids.nationalgeographic.com

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=> Fun Facts about Easter-Island

3. Crustacean Las Vegas

Forget crab hotels and crustacean vacations: Christmas Island is truly the prime destination for all your crabby pals! Home to one million coconut crabs and flaunting a seasonal influx of 100 million red crabs marching towards the sea to spawn, Christmas Island is the Las Vegas of the crustacean world! However, these crabby comrades face a threat - invasive yellow crazy ants, responsible for the demise of up to 30 million red crabs. But fear not, for the Christmas Island National Park stands guard, protecting 63% of the island's land area to preserve its unique flora and fauna!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

4. Frigatebird's Love Swiping

Move over Tinder, the Christmas Island Frigatebird has its own way of swiping right: The male Frigatebird flaunts a bright red throat pouch called a 'gular' that inflates to woo the ladies during mating season. But this unique wingman is critically endangered due to over-fishing, predatory feral cats, and invasive yellow crazy ants. Efforts are in place to conserve their love nests, as the Australian government works on feral cat eradication and ant baiting programs.
Source => dcceew.gov.au

5. Raindrop Roulette

When you play "raindrop roulette" on Christmas Island, there's no need to hedge your bets in October: the tropical oasis has its highest temperatures in March and coldest in August, with Marsh being the rainiest and October averaging a delightfully dry 5.0 days of rain.
Source => worlddata.info

6. Crustacean Crossings

Who needs traffic lights when you've got crustacean crossings? On Christmas Island, red crabs cause a pinch more mayhem than your average jaywalker: Every rainy season, millions of these ten-legged commuters make their way from the forests to the ocean for an eggscellent beach vacay – shutting down roads and forcing human residents to build crustacean-friendly bridges just to navigate their tiny island!
Source => scubadiverlife.com

7. Santa's Crustacean Workshop

Forget Santa's elves – Christmas Island's got a crustacean invasion: This remote Australian territory is home to about 45 million red land crabs, which undertake a grand annual pilgrimage from the forests to the shore, turning the island into a crimson sea and warranting a dedicated national park for their conservation efforts.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

8. Santa's Red Crab Army

Every year on Christmas Island, Santa doesn't need his sleigh and reindeer - he's got an army of red crabs to do the trick: Tens of millions of these festive crustaceans embark on an extraordinary annual migration from the island's rainforest to the ocean, creating a stunning sea of red that easily dwarfs even the largest of holiday parades.
Source => parksaustralia.gov.au

9. Santa's Post Office

If Santa's little workshop had a post office, it would be on Christmas Island: Located in Nova Scotia, Canada, this quaint little post office annually offers a unique wreath-design pictorial postmark, boasting a gingerbread man, reindeer, and dove. Skillfully hand-stamped by the two-person team in red and green ink, over 12,000 to 14,000 Christmas cards are sent out across the globe every year in festive style!
Source => saltwire.com

10. Feathered Friends Fiesta

Who needs Angry Birds when you've got 162 feathered friends living it up on Christmas Island? This bird-watching paradise comes with its own avian VIP list, featuring four specially-evolved endemic species: Amidst this tropical rainforest wonderland, however, enter the not-so-festive yellow crazy ants, threatening both the party and the tree-dwelling gifties: The result is that all the native bird species are now sadly classified as Critically Endangered. Nevertheless, Christmas Island still remains a top birding destination, with twitchers flocking from Australia and beyond to glimpse some never-before-seen honorary Aussies.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

11. Booby Trap in Paradise

"Another Booby trap in paradise: Christmas Island, a remote Australian territory, is not just a tropical wonderland, but also the exclusive home to the Abbott's Booby, a rare and endangered seabird. Thanks to the foresight of the Green Santa, the Christmas Island National Park, established in 1980, now covers a whopping 64% of the island, ensuring that the Abbott's Booby, as well as the Christmas Island frigatebird, blue crab, and the iconic red crabs, continue to have a safe haven to savor their yuletide cheer year-round!"
Source => dcceew.gov.au

12. Tiny Flying Marvel

Move over, Tinkerbell: Christmas Island is home to a real-life, itty-bitty flying marvel, the Christmas Island Pipistrelle. This tiny bat is one of the smallest mammals in the world, with 3cm wings and weighing merely 3 grams, but sadly is facing extinction due to predation by non-native species like feral cats and black rats.
Source => edgeofexistence.org

13. Kleptomaniac Crabs

Feeling a little crabby this holiday season? Kindly allow these incredible crustacean kleptomaniacs to lighten the mood: Christmas Island is home to the world's largest population of robber crabs, also known as coconut crabs. These massive critters can grow up to a meter in size, weigh over 4 kg, and live for more than 50 years, spending their days in hiding and nights foraging for fruit, seeds, and fallen tree pith. Rumor has it they've got a penchant for stealing shiny objects like pots and silverware, but don't worry, they're protected on the island – so watch your step and drive carefully when you visit!
Source => parksaustralia.gov.au