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[[File:Mt Murphy-Antarctica.jpg|300px|left]]
[[File:Crabeater Pléneau Bay.jpg|250px|left]]
'''Mount Murphy''' is a massive, snow-covered and highly eroded shield volcano with steep, rocky slopes. It is directly south of the [[Bear Peninsula]] in [[Westarctica]]. The mountain is bounded by the [[Smith Glacier|Smith]], [[Pope Glacier|Pope]], and [[Haynes Glacier]]s. Its lower slopes terminate at the [[Crosson Ice Shelf]].
The '''[[crabeater seal]]''' is a true seal with a circumpolar distribution around the coast of [[Antarctica]]. They are 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.


Mount Murphy was delineated from aerial photographs taken by [[U.S. Navy]] Operation Highjump in January 1947. Named by US-ACAN for Robert Cushman Murphy of the American Museum of Natural History, noted authority on [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] and sub-Antarctic bird life. While serving on a [[whaling]] ship, he charted the Bay of Isles region of South Georgia.
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 seal|leopard seals]], which consume about 80% of all crabeater pups.


'''([[Countess of Benton|Full Article...]])'''
'''([[crabeater seal|Full Article...]])'''

Latest revision as of 13:37, 19 March 2026

Crabeater Pléneau Bay.jpg

The crabeater seal is a true seal with a circumpolar distribution around the coast of Antarctica. They are 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.

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, which consume about 80% of all crabeater pups.

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