The holidays are upon us and for the residents of Christmas Island, Australia that means its time for one of their most beloved traditions of the season – the red crab invasion.

The holidays are upon us and for the residents of Christmas Island, Australia that means its time for one of their most beloved traditions of the season – the red crab invasion.

Each year, usually around late November and early December, millions of them take to the streets and head towards the Indian Ocean where they spawn their next generation.

Their journey begins in the island’s dense rainforest, their usual home, when they sense that the area’s wet season has begun and the high tide has begun to turn.

The cloud cover gives them the protection they need to make the long trek across dry land, traveling as many as 18 days before they arrive at the breeding ground.

Turning tides offer the best conditions for their offspring to thrive as the variations between high and low levels are the least drastic.

It’s always a risk that the wet season is insufficient for the migration, in which cases the crabs delay their mating season.

This year, everything up to par and on schedule and the crabs have begun to work their way across the island, much to the delight of many tourists who travel there just to see the crabs.