Skip to main content

Crabeater Seal

Lobodon carcinophagus
The Crabeater Seal is an incredibly abundant species that can be found throughout the Antarctic waters. It is estimated that there are literally millions, if not tens of millions of these guys swimming around, which is a huge contrast to some of the other Seals we've talked about that are on the brink of extinction.

What makes Crabeater Seals so successful? Well, they have incredibly specialized teeth that allow them to strain out Krill and other small critters. (Interestingly, they don't eat crabs!) Those tiny crustaceans are very abundant in the Antarctic waters, giving the Seals a huge food source. They are able to dive down several hundred meters in search of prey, and can hold their breath for over 10 minutes. (Though dives are typically much shorter and more shallow)

Crabeater Seals also have a pretty unique family group. Most seals mate, and then the male leaves and has nothing to do with the pup and female. Crabeater males hang around and defend the female and her pup until the pup is completely weaned. Another interesting tidbit about these guys is that the males and females are very similar in size, unlike the extreme sexual dimorphism found in some other Seal and Sea Lion species.
IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Antarctica
Size : Body Length up to 7.5ft (2.5m)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata--  Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Superfamily : Pinnipedia -- Family : Phocidae -- Genus : Lobodon -- Species : L. carcinophagus
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a
59 comments
Read more

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!
18 comments
Read more

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km)  from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status :  Not Listed Location :   Cent
Post a Comment
Read more