A remote Australian territory has enjoyed an explosion of wildlife it hasn't seen in years, according to ABC.
Red crabs have finished hatching and migrating from Christmas Island's shorelines, and they've emerged in impressive numbers.
"Last year, we didn't see very many babies at all," said Alexia Jankowski, acting manager of Christmas Island National Park, per ABC. "If the swell or the currents don't align ... they might all just get washed out to sea."
This year, they're doing much better. "It's almost impossible to estimate the number; I'd say millions of babies," she said. "… Seeing such encouraging numbers is definitely an excellent sign that, maybe, we're seeing that one of those twice-a-decade events."
Increasingly destructive weather patterns have disrupted the ability of red crabs to thrive on Christmas Island. Intensifying drought conditions have provided an opportunity for yellow crazy ants to explode in population. These invasive insects are a major threat to the native red crabs.
Red crabs aren't the only animals at risk in the area. The Christmas Island shrew was declared extinct late last year. Yellow crazy ants are also hobbling the island's last remaining native mammal, the flying fox.
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The recovery of red crab populations is good news for everybody.
The crabs play an important role in the island's ecosystem. Once these babies make it over the 80-meter (262-foot) sea cliffs, they clear the underbrush of the forest, where they mature. This low canopy is important for local ground-nesting bird species.
That said, some Christmas Island residents won't miss the smell of the crabs, nor how prolific they are.
"Even though we live on the second floor, we still get crabs in our house," said local Monique Greyson, per ABC. "You see them in the toilets sometimes. ... And trying to get to work can definitely be tricky, because you don't want to run over any of the crabs."
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