2. Christmas Island Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement began by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park. Science Article: The Christmas Island Red Crab
3. Comparing Christmas Island to Connecticut Land Area 52 square miles Population 1493 (July 2006 est.) Land Area 5,544 square miles Population 3,460,503 Berlin 26 square miles Science Article: The Christmas Island Red Crab
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5. Red Crabs are important in the Christmas Island rainforest ecosystem.They eat fallen vegetation,leaves and fruit and recycle the nutrients contained in this material.Their cylindrical brown droppings scattered over the forest floor act as fertilizer.Their burrowing turns and aerates the soil and they are a major dertiminant of the unique structure and composition of the Christmas Island forest by their selective browsing on seeds and seedlings. Science Article: The Christmas Island Red Crab
6. The most dramatic animal migration in the world is the red crab migration of Christmas Island. Peak Migration lasts for 18 days. Science Article: The Christmas Island Red Crab
8. High Dead Tolls Due to Vehicles Science Article: The Christmas Island Red Crab
9. To reduce the number of crabs killed by vehicles during the migration,‘crab crossing ’ grids have been built into the roads which cross main crab migration paths,for crabs to pass through.Walls or plastic fencing that the crabs can not climb over are erected along the roadside to prevent the crabs getting on to the road,and to ‘funnel ’ the migrating crabs through the grids and under the road so that they may continue their migration unhindered by traffic.These crab crossings may be seen on most major roads. Other conservation measures used by the communit y are road closures and traffic detours around the major migration paths during peak migration periods. Science Article: The Christmas Island Red Crab
10. Science Article: The Christmas Island Red Crab Slowly click twice to open the video clip on WMP
