Crabeater seal

게잡이물범

One of the most numerous seals on Earth, living on Antarctic pack ice. Despite its name it eats mostly krill, which it sieves through lobed teeth. Its coat is pale cream-brown.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Class: Mammals
Lives in: Pack ice west of the Antarctic Peninsula
Diet: Filter feeder
Weight: about 250 kg
Length: about 2.4 m
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN LC)
Habitat: polar regions

Quick answers

Where does the Crabeater seal live?

It lives in polar regions of the Southern Ocean. On the globe you can find it near Pack ice west of the Antarctic Peninsula.

How big is the Crabeater seal?

It grows to about 2.4 m and 250 kg.

What does the Crabeater seal eat?

Its diet: filter feeder.

Is the Crabeater seal endangered?

It is listed as Least Concern (IUCN LC).

The crabeater seal is the most abundant seal on Earth. It lives all around Antarctica on the drifting pack ice, which it uses for resting, mating and meeting other seals. Estimates run from at least 7 million up to 75 million animals.

Despite its name, it does not eat crabs. Almost all of its food is Antarctic krill, tiny shrimp-like animals. Its teeth have special lobes that work like a sieve. Adults are more than 2 metres long and slim, with a pale cream-brown coat. They weigh about 200 kilograms on average. The IUCN lists the species as Least Concern.

A krill sieve

The scientific name Lobodon carcinophaga means 'lobe-toothed crab-eater', which refers to its finely lobed teeth. The seal takes a mouthful of water and krill, then pushes the water out through the gaps in its teeth and keeps the food. Its success is due to this specialised diet: krill is plentiful in the Southern Ocean, so many seals can live there. The seal rests, mates and gathers with others on floating ice.

Family and enemies

Crabeater seals are related to the leopard seal, Ross seal and Weddell seal, which all share teeth good at straining small prey. Crabeater pups are an important food for leopard seals. These Antarctic seals diverged from the elephant seal line in the late Miocene or early Pliocene, when their ancestors moved south and quickly diversified around the frozen continent. Together they are known as the lobodontine seals.