Crab Crossing

To, Too, or Two?

To is a preposition. It indicates a direction or destination, as in “I’m going to bed” or “Nico is talking to Jay.” To is also used before infinitive verbs, as in “We’re going to be late.”

Too means “also” or “excessively,” as in “Ella was tired and Kat was too” or “That is too loud.”

Two is a number, as in “Franklin has two cats.”

Every year on a small, remote island in the Indian Ocean, something incredible happens. Some 40 million red crabs emerge from the rainforest and journey to/too/two the beach to/too/two mate and lay eggs. It’s a spectacular sight. A parade of fire-engine red crabs stretches as far as the eye can see. 

The annual migration takes place at the start of Christmas Island’s rainy season, usually in October or November. The crabs wait until the rainy season to begin their trek because to/too/two much sun dries out their bodies, which could kill them. Traveling in the rain keeps them moist.

As the crabs journey to/too/two the beach, they face many dangers. One of the biggest is traffic. 

To protect the crabs, tunnels have been built around the island so the crabs can pass under roads. There is a special bridge to/too/two, which the crabs use to cross one of the island’s busiest streets. Even so, it’s often necessary to/too/two close roads during the migration to/too/two keep Christmas Island’s beloved crabs safe.

After breeding, the male crabs leave and the female crabs stay at the beach, storing their eggs in pouches on their abdomens. To/Too/Two weeks later, they drop their eggs in the ocean, where the eggs hatch as larvae. 

Many baby crabs are gobbled up by fish and other creatures. The ones that survive emerge from the sea after about a month and crawl to/too/two the rainforest.