Crabeater Seals
Crabeater seals spend their entire lives in the pack ice surrounding Antarctica. They rest, breed and moult on the pack ice, and feed in the surrounding water.
Crabeater Seal
Lobodon carcinophaga
The Crabeater Seal (Lobodon carcinophaga) is circumpolar in distribution and can be the most commonly seen seal along the Antarctic Peninsula.
Crabeater seals are thought to reproduce in Antarctica on the pack ice during the early Spring months between October and December. Unlike other seal species, crabeaters tend to mate on the ice rather than in the water.
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.
Crabeater seals are unique among phocids in that this species forms family groups consisting of an adult female, her pup, and an adult male.
Crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophaga)
Information on the crabeater seal is currently being researched and written and will appear here shortly... More 20 Images 3 Videos ...
Crabeater seals may be found in large aggregations of up to 1,000 animals, but are usually solitary or in small groups (Siniff 1979). They dive primarily at night and are reported to average 143 daily dives in late February (Nordoy et al. 1995).
Crabeater Seal (L. carcinophagus)
Mirounga
(Elephant seals)
Northern Elephant Seal (M. angustirostris) Â- Southern Elephant Seal (M. leonina) ...
On one berg we have 6 Crabeater seals. Another large berg has beautiful blue caves carved in the side. Glacial ice has a turquoise blue color. After lunch and on the other side of the sound we land at Kinnes Cove on Joinville Island.
The other three species are the Weddell seal, Ross seal and Crabeater seal. There are 32 members of the Order Pinnipedia (fin-footed) in the world, 18 of which are true seals.
pacifica lives in the Antarctic Ocean and is the favourite food of baleen whales and crabeater seals.
Antarctic seals include the voracious leopard seal, which feeds on penguins and other sea birds, and the Ross, Weddell, and crabeater seals. The warm-water seals are the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Hawaiian species of monk seal.
 See also: Leopard, Elephant, Sea Lion, Elephant Seal, Antarctic fur seal
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