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Animal Size

Crabeater seal size: How big do they get?

How big does a Crabeater seal get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:

A grown Crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophagus) reaches an average size of 2.28 meter (7′ 6″).

When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). During their lifetime of about 39 years, they grow from 20 kg (44.09 lbs) to 225 kg (496.04 lbs). The Crabeater seal (genus: Lobodon) is a member of the family Phocidae.

As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.

The average adult size of a Crabeater seal is (7' 6

The crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophaga), also known as the krill-eater seal, 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. While population estimates are uncertain, there are at least 7 million and possibly as many as 75 million individuals. This success of this species is due to its specialized predation on the abundant Antarctic krill of the Southern Ocean, for which it has uniquely adapted, sieve-like tooth structure. Indeed, its scientific name, translated as “lobe-toothed (lobodon) crab eater (carcinophaga)”, refers specifically to the finely lobed teeth adapted to filtering their small crustacean prey. Despite its name, crabeater seals do not eat crabs. As well as being an important krill predator, the crabeater seal is an important component of the diet of leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx), which are responsible for 80% of all crabeater pups deaths.

Animals of the same family as a Crabeater seal

We found other animals of the Phocidae family:

Animals with the same size as a Crabeater seal

Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Crabeater seal:

Animals with the same life expectancy as a Crabeater seal

Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Crabeater seal:

Animals with the same weight as a Crabeater seal

As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Lobodon carcinophagus: