There are plenty of odd islands around the globe, but there's only one that's guaranteed to attract worldwide attention every year: Christmas Island.
The island is famed for its annual procession of endemic red crabs as they make their way to the coast in an attempt to find a mate. But that's not all you'll find on the remote island...
Where is Christmas Island?
Christmas Island is in the Indian Ocean, around 350km (190 nautical miles) south of Java and Sumatra. It is an Australian external territory, after Britain transferred sovereignty of the island to Australia in 1958.
Why is it called Christmas Island?
Christmas Island gets its name from the first Europeans to sight the island, which occurred on Christmas Day in 1643.
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What wildlife can you find there?
As it was largely uninhabited until the late 19th-century, the island has many endemic species. It’s best known for the Christmas Island red crab which is a land crab only found on Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Their annual migration to the coast to breed makes headlines around the world and is considered one of nature’s greatest spectacles.
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Christmas Island is also home to the coconut crab. It’s the heaviest of all terrestrial invertebrates and its curved and claw-like legs means it can scale trees to crack open green coconuts. However, they have also been seen hunting rats and large seabirds such as boobies.
There are at least 18 endemic species of plants on the island, such as Lister’s palm, the stinging tree and Christmas Island waxvine. Two-thirds of the island has been declared a National Park which is managed by the Australian Department of Environment and Heritage through Parks Australia.
However, invasive species have threatened its endemic ones: Australia's only shrew, the Christmas Island shrew, was officially declared extinct in October 2025 in what was described as “one of the most mysterious of extinctions”.
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