crabeater

C3R1A1B3E1A1T1E1R1

noun

A cobia or sergeant fish (Rachycentron canadum).

Scrabble 13

Meanings

nouncrabeater (plural crabeaters)

plural crabeaters

  1. A little bittern; a bird of species Ixobrychus minutus.
  2. 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 564
    2 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, →ISBN

    Also 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

Also see

Origin

Cite this entry
APA

crabeater. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crabeater

MLA

“crabeater.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crabeater. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “crabeater,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crabeater.

Source: crabeater on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.