The Crabeater Seal

by Valerie Molino

This beautiful mammal is one of the many breeds of seals that exist on our planet. Living mostly in Antarctica, the Crabeater Seal can grow to measure up to 2.6 meters in length and weigh as much as 225 kg. Surprisingly, the Crabeater Seal does not eat crabs, as so many people would think. Their main source of nutrition is actually krill, which they are able to eat because of their teeth that are specifically designed to suck in krill and expulse the water. Known to eat at night, they can take as much as 8 to 10 hours to feed. Currently, there is no actual record of how many members of this species exist on Earth. However, it is estimated that there could be millions of them inhabiting the planet.

For you science lovers, here are the Crabeater seal’s scientific classifications:

• Common Name: Crabeater Seal
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Mammalia
• Order: Pinnipedia
• Family: Phocidae
• Species: Lobodon Carcinophagus