Christmas Island got its name from Captain William Mynors of the East India Company, who sailed past it on Christmas Day in 1643 aboard the vessel Royal Mary. Rich in natural resources, the island caught the eye of the British and was annexed by the British Crown in 1888. A year later, it came under the control of the governor of the Straits Settlements and was administered from Singapore until sovereignty was transferred to Australia in 1958.
Geographically isolated from neighbouring landmasses, the insular fauna has developed high endemism, with over 200 endemic species found only on Christmas Island and nowhere else on Earth. Between 2010 and 2017, the museum mounted four expeditions to Christmas Island along with researchers from Taiwan, Japan and Australia. The objective? To conduct biodiversity surveys in its wide range of habitats: rock pools, coral reefs, cliff faces, caves and forests!
