A very rare visitor to New Zealand from Antarctica. A seal that is lost. This seal is one of the most abundant seals in the world, yet it is almost never seen in New Zealand waters. Despite its name, it eats krill, not crabs. The name crabeater is a mistranslation. The species has specialised teeth that interlock to form a sieve, filtering tiny krill from the water as it swims with its mouth open. It is a highly specialised feeder, adapted to life in the pack ice where krill swarms are dense. A seal that eats krill, not crabs. The crabeater seal's teeth are a marvel of evolution. Each tooth has multiple cusps that fit together like the teeth of a comb. When the seal closes its mouth, water is forced out through the gaps, but the krill are trapped inside. The seal then swallows its catch whole. This feeding method is efficient but inflexible. The crabeater cannot easily switch to other prey if krill become scarce. That makes it vulnerable to climate change. As the Antarctic ice melts, the krill populations shift, and the seals must follow. Why does it sometimes reach New Zealand? The individuals found here are almost certainly lost. They may have been disoriented by storms or carried north by unusual currents. They may be sick or starving. A crabeater seal on a New Zealand beach is a seal in trouble. The beach is cold. The seal rests on the sand, lost, far from the ice. It should be eating krill in Antarctica. It is here instead. No one knows why. It will not say. It stays for a while, then slips back into the sea. It may return south. It may die. Either way, its visit is brief. It does not know it is a rare visitor. It just wanted to rest.