Crabs Invade Cuba During Annual Migration

Millions of red, yellow and black crabs. Each year, after the first spring rain storms, the crabs march for days from the surrounding forests to the bay on Cuba’s southern coast to spawn in the sea. At dawn and dusk, the crabs emerge, scuttling sideways toward the sea, climbing up walls and carpeting the coastal road that curves around the bay. The stench of crushed crab fills the air and their sharp shells puncture car tires. Similar crab migrations occur in other parts of Cuba at the same time of the year, as well as in some other special ecosystems such as Australia’s Christmas Island.