crabeater seal diet

Small amounts of fish and squid are also part of the diet. The high abundance of the crabeater seals is a testament to their extreme success in killing Antarctic krill. The name crabeater seal comes from the Latin name Lobodon carcinophagus which translates directly as lobe-toothed crab eater. The diet of a crabeater seal consists mainly of krill (90%). : Crabeater seal diet in the wAP 289 kg−1 body wt, in 2002 and 2007), administered via a jab-stick or dart gun to sedate each animal. Crabeater seals feed primarily on Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, and 95% of their diet may be made up of this species. Crabeaters live at the edge of pack ice and are normally solitary animals. Life for crabeater seals in the Antarctic could get even more difficult in the coming years, as climate change and commercial fishing make krill, their main food source, more scarce. Its krill-filtering teeth act like a type of sieve. The seals have special lobed teeth that help them to sieve the krill out of the seawater. Instead, crabeater seals primarily eat krill. Crabeater seals feed almost entirely on krill, small shrimp-like creatures, near the Antarctic peninsula but are known to have a more opportunistic and varied diet in other regions. Contrary to popular belief, they do not eat crabs (there are, in fact, very few species of crab in Antarctica). However during the breeding season, they will form small … Their main source of food is actually krill, and it makes up about 95% of their diet. Crabeater Seals. Instead, these seals consume vast quantities of krill, which are tiny, shrimp-like shellfish. They are capable of diving to depths of up to 250m, but usually feed within the upper 20 m of the water column. Despite the soon-realized error, the name stuck. They don't eat crabs; the seals' diet is 90% Antarctic krill. Crabeater seals are probably the most abundant seal species, and the most numerous large mammal on earth. Crabeater seals have specially adapted teeth with extra projections to gulp in seawater and strain out the krill. An adult crabeater seal grow over 2 meters in length and can weigh around 200 kg, while large seals can be over 300 kg in weight. Crabeater seals can move great distances on land where others can only travel like that in water. Crabeater seals do most of their feeding at … Which brings us to the diet of the crabeater seal. You probably think they love crabs, but no. Threats and status. Crabeater seals, found around the coast of Antarctica, have arguably the most unusual tooth shape in existence. Cephalopods and Antarctic fish also make up a smaller portion of the crabeater seal diet. Leopard seals are a major predator of crabeater seals, particularly of young pups. The name "crabeater" was a mistake of early whalers and sealers, who for whatever reason got it into their heads that these seals loved a diet of crustaceans. Photo: Lars Karlöf / Norwegian Polar Institute. Crabeater seal on the ice in Antarctica. In fact, scientists believe krill represents up to 90% of the crabeater seal’s diet.The rest of their diet includes cephalopods and some fish. The teeth act as a sieve to filter seawater, just like the baleens in baleen whales.It allows the seals to feed on large amounts of krill all year long. 90% of their diet comprise of the Antarctic krill, the single species with the greatest biomass on the planet. As they drain seawater after a gulp, their teeth strain out the krill. Despite their name, Crabeaters eats mainly krill; crabs form only a small portion of the seals’ diet. Hückstädt et al. Special lobed teeth that help them to sieve the krill feed within the upper m! The Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, and the most numerous large on! 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