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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. They generally move southwards in spring, and northwards
in autumn, as the pack ice gets bigger or smaller with the seasons.Crabeater seals are the most numerous seal species in the southern ocean. Males and females are similar in size, weighing about 400kg and reaching about 2.5m in length.
Crabeater seals feed mainly on krill, and are able to dive to depths of up to 250m, although they usually feed around 20m from the surface.
They breed on the ice 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 weaned but takes no part in
rearing 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.
Crabeater seals moult
during January and February, spending most of that time on the
ice.
Leopard seals are a major predator of crabeater seals, particularly
of young pups.
Elephant
seals...Leopard
seals...Antarctic fur
seals...Weddell Seals
Click
here to see photos of Antarctic seals
If you use any part of this,
acknowledge it in your bibliography like this:
Antarctic
Animals (2002).
[Online], Available: www.kidcyber.com.au
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updated July 2007