Lobodon

Published: June 30, 2010, 6:32 pm

Updated: May 13, 2011, 10:25 am

Topics:

Marine Ecology (main) Biodiversity (main)

Lobodon is a genus of just one species (a monotypic genus) within the true seal family; the single species member is the Crabeater seal (alternate common name: White Antarctic seal). Together with the families of Eared seals and Walruses, True seals form the group of marine mammals known as pinnipeds.

The Crabeater seal species is one of the most numerous seals in the world. The species name, however, appears to be a misnomer as there is no evidence that it eats crabs; rather it eats krill. For a detailed discussion of this taxon, consult the artice Crabeater seal.

Crabeater seal. Source: Mike Cameron/NOAA

Conservation Status

Scientific Classification Kingdom: Anamalia (Animals) Phylum:--- Chordata Class:------ Mammalia (Mammals) Order:-------- Carnivora (Carnivores) Family:-------- Phocidae (True Seals) Genus:--------- Lobodon Species:--------1 species

Further Reading

1. Lobodon carcinophaga (Hombron and Jacquinot, 1842) Encyclopedia of Life (accessed May 20, 2010)
2. Lobodon carcinophaga, Batty, K., 2008., Animal Diversity Web (accessed May 20, 2010)
3. Crabeater seal, Seal Conservation Society (accessed May 20, 2010)
4. Lobodon carcinophaga IUCN REd List of Threatened Species (accessed May 20, 2010)
5. The Pinnipeds: Seals, Sea Lions, and Walruses, Marianne Riedman, University of California Press, 1991 ISBN: 0520064984
6. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, Bernd Wursig, Academic Press, 2002 ISBN: 0125513402
7. Marine Mammal Research: Conservation beyond Crisis, edited by John E. Reynolds III, William F. Perrin, Randall R. Reeves, Suzanne Montgomery and Timothy J. Ragen, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005 ISBN: 0801882559
8. Walker's Mammals of the World, Ronald M. Nowak, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN: 0801857899
9. Crabeater seal, MarineBio.org (accessed May 20, 2010)

Citation

Life, E. (2011). Lobodon. Retrieved from http://editors.eol.org/eoearth/wiki/Lobodon