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Crabeater Seal
Lobodon carcinophaga
The Crabeater Seal (Lobodon carcinophaga) is circumpolar in distribution and can be the most commonly seen seal along the Antarctic Peninsula. The species does not feed on crabs; its diet consists mainly of krill, small shrimp-like animals which may occur in huge concentrations in antarctic waters. The scene at right is fairly typical of the sort of view you often get from a ship in Antarctica with three Crabeaters resting on some ice in the Errera Channel in January, 2002. This image was taken with a Canon EOS 1V and EF 70-200mm F/2.8 L IS lens. The next shot shows a yawning Crabeater at the same location giving us a good view of his teeth.
The shot shown here, and the next were digital images taken at Wilhemina Bay on the Antarctic Peninsula on a dark and cloudy day in February, 2005. These shots were taken with a Canon EOS 1D Mark II and and EF 70-200mm F/2.8 L IS lens and 2X extender.
The next three shots were taken at Brown's Bluff on the Antarctic Peninsula, in January, 1999, on Fuji Velvia film. In the shot at right, eight Crabeaters, along with two Adelie Penguins, rest on a slab of ice.
The two Crabeaters in this shot are resting on some ice just offshore of Brown's Bluff. Thousands of Adelie Penguinsare visible on the water's edge as well as on the hillside in the background.