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Crabeater Seal, Antarctica, originally uploaded by blather.

Saw this seal first thing this morning - well, first thing after a late night! I think it had a late night too, and wasn't so happy about the wake-up call.
Not sure if you can make out its teeth, but they're designed for chewing krill, and are very oddly shaped! Notice the scar on his back - it's very regular which makes me wonder if it's longline-related.

The little known Crabeater Seal, Lobodon carcinophagus, is possibly one of the most amazing mammals in the world. At a population of 8 to 50 million (LAWS 1973), it is perhaps the second most numerous large species of mammals on Earth, after humans. More than half the seals in the world is a Crabeater Seal. More on wikipedia »


Seen from the Greenpeace ship Esperanza in Antarctica, Defending Whales voyage 2007-2008.