Animalia > Chordata > Mammalia > Carnivora > Phocidae > Lobodon > Lobodon carcinophaga
 

Lobodon carcinophaga (Crabeater Seal)

Synonyms: Lobodon carcinophagus

Wikipedia Abstract

The crabeater seal, Lobodon carcinophagus, is a true seal with a circumpolar distribution around the coast of Antarctica. They are medium to large-sized (over 2 m in length), relatively slender and pale-colored, found primarily on the free floating pack ice that extends seasonally out from the Antarctic coast, which they use as a platform for resting, mating, social aggregation and accessing their prey. They are by far the most abundant seal species in the world.
View Wikipedia Record: Lobodon carcinophaga

EDGE Analysis

Uniqueness Scale: Similiar (0) 
5
 Unique (100)
Uniqueness & Vulnerability Scale: Similiar & Secure (0) 
28
 Unique & Vulnerable (100)
ED Score: 12.4
EDGE Score: 2.6
Learn more at EDGE of Existence programme

Attributes

Adult Weight [2]  551.16 lbs (250.00 kg)
Birth Weight [2]  50.71 lbs (23.00 kg)
Female Maturity [2]  4 years
Male Maturity [2]  4 years 6 months
Diet [1]  Carnivore
Gestation [2]  8 months 19 days
Litter Size [2]  1
Litters / Year [2]  1
Migration [1]  Intraoceanic
Nocturnal [1]  Yes
Water Biome [1]  Pelagic, Coastal
Weaning [2]  28 days

Protected Areas

Name IUCN Category Area acres Location Species Website Map Climate Land Use
Macquarie Island Nature Reserve Ia 233540 Tasmania, Australia  
Palmer LTER Site Long Term Ecological Research   Antarctica    
Tierra Del Fuego National Park II 172861 Argentina

Ecosystems

Prey / Diet

Dissostichus eleginoides (Patagonsky klykach)[3]
Dissostichus mawsoni (Antarctic blenny)[3]
Euphausia crystallorophias (ice krill)[4]
Euphausia superba (Antarctic krill)[3]
Onykia ingens (warty squid)[3]

Prey / Diet Overlap

Competing SpeciesCommon Prey Count
Allothunnus fallai (Tuna)1
Aphrodroma brevirostris (Kerguelen Petrel)1
Aptenodytes forsteri (Emperor Penguin)5
Aptenodytes patagonicus (King Penguin)1
Arctocephalus gazella (Antarctic Fur Seal)1
Balaenoptera acutorostrata (Minke Whale)1
Balaenoptera bonaerensis (Antarctic Minke Whale)2
Bathydraco marri (Deepwater dragon)1
Chaenocephalus aceratus (Scotian icefish)1
Chaenodraco wilsoni (Spiny icefish)1
Champsocephalus gunnari (Mackerel icefish)1
Chionodraco myersi (Myers' icefish)1
Cygnodraco mawsoni (Mawson's dragonfish)2
Daption capense (Cape Petrel)1
Diomedea epomophora (Royal Albatross)1
Diomedea exulans (Wandering Albatross)1
Dissostichus eleginoides (Patagonsky klykach)2
Dissostichus mawsoni (Antarctic blenny)1
Electrona carlsbergi (Electron subantarctic)1
Eudyptes chrysolophus (Macaroni Penguin)1
Fulmarus glacialoides (Southern Fulmar)1
Globicephala melas (Long-finned Pilot Whale)1
Gymnodraco acuticeps (Ploughfish)2
Gymnoscopelus nicholsi (Nichol's lanternfish)1
Gymnoscopelus opisthopterus (Lanternfish)1
Halobaena caerulea (Blue Petrel)1
Hyperoodon planifrons (Southern Bottlenose Whale)1
Lagenorhynchus cruciger (Hourglass Dolphin)1
Lampris immaculatus (Moonfish)1
Larus dominicanus (Kelp Gull)1
Lepidonotothen squamifrons (Grey rockcod)1
Leptonychotes weddellii (Weddell Seal)1
Macronectes giganteus (Southern Giant Petrel)1
Megaptera novaeangliae (Humpback Whale)3
Mirounga leonina (Southern Elephant Seal)1
Oceanites oceanicus (Wilson's Storm-Petrel)1
Orcinus orca (Killer Whale)1
Pachyptila desolata (Antarctic Prion)1
Pachyptila turtur (Fairy Prion)1
Pagodroma nivea (Snow Petrel)1
Pagothenia borchgrevinki (Bald notothen)1
Phoebetria palpebrata (Light-mantled Albatross)1
Physeter macrocephalus (Sperm Whale)1
Procellaria aequinoctialis (White-chinned Petrel)1
Pygoscelis adeliae (Adelie Penguin)4
Pygoscelis antarcticus (Chinstrap Penguin)1
Pygoscelis papua (Gentoo Penguin)2
Stercorarius maccormicki (South Polar Skua)1
Sterna vittata (Antarctic Tern)1
Thalassarche chrysostoma (Grey-headed Albatross)1
Thalassarche melanophris (Black-browed Albatross)2
Thalassoica antarctica (Antarctic Petrel)1
Trematomus newnesi (Dusky notothen)1

Predators

Hydrurga leptonyx (Leopard seal)[3]
Orcinus orca (Killer Whale)[3]

Consumers

Parasitized by 
Antarctophthirus lobodontis[5]
Baylisia baylisi[6]
Baylisia supergonoporis[6]
Contracaecum osculatum[5]
Contracaecum radiatum <Unverified Name>[5]
Corynosoma arctocephali <Unverified Name>[6]
Corynosoma bullosum[6]
Corynosoma hamanni[6]
Corynosoma pseudohamanni <Unverified Name>[6]
Diphyllobothrium lobodoni <Unverified Name>[6]
Diphyllobothrium quadratum[6]
Flexobothrium microovatum <Unverified Name>[6]
Ogmogaster antarcticus[6]
Parorchites zederi[6]

Range Map

Link to Map
Antarctica/Southern Ocean; Australia; South America;

External References

Photos

Citations

Species recognized by , , ITIS Global: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System in Catalog of Life 2011
Attributes / relations provided by ♦ 1Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2006. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed February 01, 2010 at animaldiversity.org ♦ 2de Magalhaes, J. P., and Costa, J. (2009) A database of vertebrate longevity records and their relation to other life-history traits. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 22(8):1770-1774 ♦ 3Who's Eating Who ♦ 4Food of emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) in the western Ross Sea, Antarctica, Y. Cherel and G. L. Kooyman, Marine Biology (1998) 130: 335-344 ♦ 5Species Interactions of Australia Database, Atlas of Living Australia, Version ala-csv-2012-11-19 ♦ 6Gibson, D. I., Bray, R. A., & Harris, E. A. (Compilers) (2005). Host-Parasite Database of the Natural History Museum, London
Protected Areas provided by Biological Inventories of the World's Protected Areas in cooperation between the Information Center for the Environment at the University of California, Davis and numerous collaborators.
Images provided by Wikimedia Commons licensed under a Creative Commons License
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
EDGE analysis provided by EDGE of Existence programme, Zoological Society of London
Range map provided by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), Conservation International & NatureServe.
Weather provided by NOAA METAR Data Access