Google Street View Is Capturing David Attenborough’s Favourite Australian Phenomenon

From herds of zebras in South Africa to schools of marine life on the Great Barrier Reef, the Google Street View team have met some interesting characters and captured some incredible footage in their travels across the planet.

The latest location in the tech giant’s quest for world (map) domination is Christmas Island, 3400km northwest of Australia. A team of volunteers have set out to capture more than 45 million red crabs as they make their annual trip from the forest to the seas – a phenomenon Sir David Attenborough ranked as one of his top 10 nature experiences.

For most of the year, the crabs stay burrowed in Christmas Island’s lush, damp forests to preserve body moisture and protect themselves from the harsh sunlight. But, each year, they emerge to march to the sea and mate near the coastal waters.

The shelled locals wait patiently for a precise alignment of the rains, moon cycle and tide to commence their journey. It finishes when the crabs lay their eggs in the sand – a finale forecasted for December 13 in 2017.

Google volunteers will travel the land by foot, carrying the infamous Google Street View backpacks (which are 121cm tall and weigh 20kg). Despite their bulky size, they are able to capture the 360-degree images we see on Street View.