Animal profile

Crabeater Seal

Lobodon carcinophaga

MammaliaAntarctic pack iceLeast Concern

Field profile

The crabeater seal is a slender, pale seal of the Antarctic pack ice and probably the most abundant large wild mammal on Earth after humans. Despite the name it eats almost no crabs. Its teeth are the most elaborate filtering apparatus of any carnivoran.

Published field notes

2026-02-18

Crabeater Seal

The crabeater seal eats almost no crabs

Its diet is overwhelmingly Antarctic krill, sieved through cheek teeth so intricately lobed that they mesh into a strainer. The English name is a mistranslation-flavoured relic that has outlived every attempt to correct it.

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