Crab-Eater Seal
The crab-eater seal breeds on the Antarctic pack ice; however, there have been over 20 reports of this species on the Australian mainland.
There have been three records of crab-eater seals in Tasmania. The first was in 1945 when a carcass was found at Ralph's Bay. In 1996 a dead crab-eater was also found in North West Bay (south of Hobart). In October 1999 a live crab-eater was found at Primrose Sands. This is the first reported live sighting of this species in Tasmania.
Contrary to their name, the crab-eater seal does not eat crabs but feeds almost exclusively on krill – small shrimp like crustaceans. They sieve krill from the water with the cusps of their teeth . Crab-eater seals have been found to dive as deep as 300m.