Meanings
plural crabeaters
- A cobia or sergeant fish (Rachycentron canadum).
- A little bittern; a bird of species Ixobrychus minutus.
- An Antarctic seal (Lobodon carcinophagus) that feeds on krill.
Although crabeaters often gather on the ice in large numbers, pupping takes place in small groups.
2002, Maurice Burton, Robert Burton, International Wildlife Encyclopedia: Chickaree - crabs, →ISBN, page 5642 more examples
Although few observations have been made of feeding crabeaters, it is assumed that they take bites from a swarm of krill, extracting one or two. Crabeaters sometimes feed collectively, which may increase the efficiency of their hunt.
2002, David G. Campbell, The Crystal Desert: Summers in Antarctica, →ISBNAlso distinguishing them is that crabeaters often have moderate scaring around the head and chest from fights with conspecifics and deep scaring along the body resulting from close encounters with leopard seals.
2013, Roger Kirkwood, Simon Goldsworthy, Fur Seals and Sea Lions, →ISBN, page 45
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
Cite this entry
crabeater. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crabeater
“crabeater.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crabeater. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “crabeater,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crabeater.
Source: crabeater on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.