From the comfort of our own homes, Google Street View can give us a look at some of nature's most spectacular sights, with everywhere from the Himalayas to the Amazon now just a few clicks away. The internet giant's cameras have now been deployed on Australia's Christmas Island, where they will capture the millions of crabs that famously migrate from the forest to the sea in December each year.
The red crabs of Christmas Island off the north-west coast of Australia spend almost the entire year tucked away in burrows beneath its damp forests to protect their bodies from the moisture and the harsh sunlight. But once a year, when conditions such as the rain and moon cycles are just right, they make their move.
More than 45 million red crabs emerge from the forest and head down to the coast, where they lay their eggs in the sand. And this time around, Alasdair Grigg from Parks Australia will be on hand with the Street View camera rig to film all the action.
The migration takes about a week, and with tens of millions of crabs scurrying about, fences and walls have been installed to offer them safe passage, free from the threat of potentially crushing human feet. The journey is forecasted to end on December 13, and Google says the imagery will be available through Street View in early 2018.
Source: Google