Crabeater Seal Fact Sheet
CRABEATER SEAL
Location: Crabeater seals spend their entire lives in the pack-ice zone surrounding Antarctica, resting, breeding and moulting on the pack-ice, and feeding in the surrounding water.
Lifespan: May be up to 39 years.
Diet: Mainly feeds on krill. Crabeater seals have teeth that are designed to make eating krill easier, the teeth have multiple little points on them to help filter the krill from the water.
Predators: Leopard seals are a major predator of Crabeater seals, particularly of young pups. Most adult Crabeater seals have large scars as a result of unsuccessful attacks from leopard seals from when they were younger.
Mating/Breeding: They mate on the ice (as opposed to other seals which mainly mate in the water) from late September to early November. During the breeding season a male mates with a female and generally stays with her (until the time her pup is unaccustomed), but takes no part in raising the pup. Females give birth to a single pup which is weaned 3-4 weeks after birth. During this time the female spends the entire time on the ice with the pup.
Keystone species: Crabeater Seals aren't known as a Keystone species.
Conservation Status: Crabeater seals are under the 'Least Concern' category of extinction. This means that there population is large enough to survive. They are known as one of the fastest breed of seal and it is because of this they are able to get away from threats.
Facts:
• Crabeater Seals can reach speeds of 25 km/hr, which make it one of the fastest species of seal.
• Crabeater seals have been known to dive as deep as 470 feet and for a period in excess of 10 mins.
• Despite their name, they don't actually feed off
Location: Crabeater seals spend their entire lives in the pack-ice zone surrounding Antarctica, resting, breeding and moulting on the pack-ice, and feeding in the surrounding water.
Lifespan: May be up to 39 years.
Diet: Mainly feeds on krill. Crabeater seals have teeth that are designed to make eating krill easier, the teeth have multiple little points on them to help filter the krill from the water.
Predators: Leopard seals are a major predator of Crabeater seals, particularly of young pups. Most adult Crabeater seals have large scars as a result of unsuccessful attacks from leopard seals from when they were younger.
Mating/Breeding: They mate on the ice (as opposed to other seals which mainly mate in the water) from late September to early November. During the breeding season a male mates with a female and generally stays with her (until the time her pup is unaccustomed), but takes no part in raising the pup. Females give birth to a single pup which is weaned 3-4 weeks after birth. During this time the female spends the entire time on the ice with the pup.
Keystone species: Crabeater Seals aren't known as a Keystone species.
Conservation Status: Crabeater seals are under the 'Least Concern' category of extinction. This means that there population is large enough to survive. They are known as one of the fastest breed of seal and it is because of this they are able to get away from threats.
Facts:
• Crabeater Seals can reach speeds of 25 km/hr, which make it one of the fastest species of seal.
• Crabeater seals have been known to dive as deep as 470 feet and for a period in excess of 10 mins.
• Despite their name, they don't actually feed off