Crabeater Seals experience significant predation by leopard seals, losing up to 80 percent of the seal pups their first year. Crabeater Seals can be found in aggregations of over 1,000 animals. Their significant scars from leopard seal attacks may explain why they haul out together in larger numbers than other seals - the "safety in numbers" strategy may make leopard seals less likely to attack.
Orcas are another significant crabeater predator. Orcas have been observed creating shock waves to swamp an ice floe where a crabeater seal is hauled out, knocking the seal into the water.
Despite their larger than life shape, Crabeater Seals are able to traverse ice or land allows them to reach speeds of 12–16 mph (19–26km/h). Crabeater Seals can dive continuously for up to 16 hours a day, in short 5-minute dives for food, swimming through massive krill swarms with their mouth open wide, sieving the seawater out using their specialized teeth.
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