Wildlife
Crabeater seals gather around the coast and pack ice of Antarctica. Their population is estimated at an enormous 15 to 40 million. They spend most of the night diving for food, travelling or just exploring. These seals are very mobile and fast on land, and can range over hundreds of kilometres at a top speed of around 25kmph. Curiously, given their name, the crabeater seal's primary food source isn't crabs, but the shrimp-like krill which they sieve out of the water.
Scientific name: Lobodon carcinophagus
Rank: Species
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Ice world
Around 30 million crabeater seals live in Antarctica's icy seas.
Around 30 million crabeater seals live in Antarctica's icy seas.
Ice hideout
Crabeater seals are hunted by specialist killer whales.
A lone crabeater seal swims in open water, unaware that he's been spotted by a group of killer whales. His only chance is to exploit his agility and to circle a lone iceberg as closely as he can. But will it be enough to deter the predatory pod?
The Crabeater seal can be found in a number of locations including: Antarctica. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Crabeater seal distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Least Concern
The crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophaga or carcinophagus) is a true seal with a circumpolar distribution around the coast of Antarctica. They are medium- to large-sized (over 2 m in length), relatively slender and pale-colored, found primarily on the free-floating pack ice that extends seasonally out from the Antarctic coast, which they use as a platform for resting, mating, social aggregation and accessing their prey. They are by far the most abundant seal species in the world. While population estimates are uncertain, there are at least 7 million and possibly as many as 75 million individuals. This success of this species is due to its specialized predation on the abundant Antarctic krill of the Southern Ocean, for which it has uniquely adapted, sieve-like tooth structure. Indeed, its scientific name, translated as "lobe-toothed (lobodon) crab eater (carcinophagus)", refers specifically to the finely lobed teeth adapted to filtering their small crustacean prey. As well as being an important krill predator, the crabeater seal is an important component of the diet of leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx), which consume about 80% of all crabeater pups.
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Adapted to swimming
Carnivorous
Nocturnal
Cold tolerant
Viviparous