Mammals · Carnivora · Phocidae

Crabeater Seal

Lobodon carcinophaga

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The crabeater seal is by far the most abundant seal on the planet and probably the most numerous large wild mammal after humans and a few rodents. Its name is a mistake: it does not eat crabs but Antarctic krill, which it filters from the water with extraordinarily modified teeth. It lives on the drifting ice of the Southern Ocean and rarely comes near land. Most adults carry parallel scars from leopard seal attacks suffered when young.

Weight

200 kg – 300 kg

Size

2.1 m – 2.6 m

Lifespan

25 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Estimated population

Several million individuals; it is the most abundant seal in the world

OceanPolarCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Ocean Polar Mammal

6countries 14parks 3dive sites14same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt is the most abundant seal on the planet, and its teeth strain krill, not crabs.
Its molars have interlocking cusps that form a sieve: it closes its mouth and forces the water out between its teeth, keeping the krill, a solution convergent with the baleen of whales.
There may be more than a million of these seals spread across the Antarctic pack ice, which makes it the most abundant seal in the world even though hardly anyone has seen one.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Drifting pack ice of the Southern Ocean, all around the Antarctic continent
Sexual maturity: 4 years
Gestation / incubation: 8.5 months
Litter / clutch size: 1

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/