Lobodon carcinophagus; crabeater seal

Japanese: カニクイアザラシ（英語表記）Lobodon carcinophagus; crabeater seal

The crab-eater seal is a seal of the genus Phoca in the suborder Pinnipedia in the order Carnivora. It is estimated to reach a body length of about 2.6 m and a weight of 200-300 kg. Its birth length is about 1.1 m, and its birth weight is 20-40 kg. Its coat color is grayish ochre or brownish gray, with irregular dark spots and ring-shaped markings scattered throughout. As it ages, the coat color becomes lighter. The pups are born grayish brown, and molt 2-3 weeks after birth to the same color as adults. Its body shape is spindle-shaped. Its head and muzzle are elongated, with straight lips and nostrils at the end of the snout. Its forelimbs are long and oar-shaped, with pointed tips, almost like fins. It has four incisors, two canines, and ten cheek teeth on its upper and lower jaws. Mating takes place from October to December, and birthing season is from September to December. There is no breeding ground, and females give birth on the ice to avoid attacks from males. They live alone or in groups of about 10 individuals. On rare occasions, they may form large groups of several thousand individuals. They feed at night, filtering out krill using interlocking teeth. Although their name is crabeater, there have been no reports of them eating crabs. They are found around the coast of Antarctica. Because they live along the ice edge, their distribution is affected by seasonal movements of the ice edge, and they can stray into New Zealand, Australia, and South America, which are far north of their distribution range.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

食肉目鰭脚亜目アザラシ科カニクイアザラシ属。体長は約 2.6m，体重は 200～300kgになると推定される。出生体長は約 1.1m，出生体重は 20～40kgである。体毛の色は灰色がかった黄土色あるいは茶ねずみ色で，濃色の不規則な斑や輪状の紋が散在する。老成すると毛色が淡色になる。出生仔は灰色がかった茶色で，生後2～3週間で換毛し成獣と同色となる。体型は紡錘形。頭部と鼻口部は細長く，口唇は直線的で，鼻孔は吻端にある。前肢は長くオール状で先がとがり鰭 (ひれ) に近い。上顎と下顎に門歯が各4本，犬歯が各2本，頬歯が各 10本ある。交尾は 10～12月に行われ，出産期は9～12月である。繁殖場をもたず，雌は雄の攻撃をさけるために，氷上で出産する。単独か 10頭程度の群れで行動する。ごくまれに数千頭の大群をなすことがある。摂餌活動は夜間に行い，噛み合う歯を用いてオキアミ類をこし取って捕食する。名前にカニクイとあるが，これまでにカニを食べていた例はない。南極大陸沿岸周辺に分布する。氷縁に沿って生息するため，季節的な氷縁の移動に分布域が左右され，分布域よりはるかに北側のニュージーランド，オーストラリアおよび南アメリカに迷入することがある。

出典　ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典について　情報

<<: Crab-eating mongoose

>>: Crabeater - Crabeater