Wolf Eel (Anarrhichthys ocellatus)
The wolf-eel is not related to other eels; it’s one of five species in the “wolffish” family. The other four species are not nearly so long and skinny. Wolf-eels look more or less normal-sized down to their neck, and then their bodies just keep going, with thick, muscular waves of tail stretching nearly 8 feet behind them. Adults wind those long bodies into caves and crevices, sticking just their heads out and waiting for something crunchy to swim by. They love crabs, urchins, and shellfish.
Wolf-eels occur in shallow water to as deep as 740 feet (225 m). They swim by making deep S-shapes with their bodies, like a snake moving across the ground. The slender fish are gray as a rain cloud, with large heads and dark spots over their backs. Males have thick jaws and a bulging forehead. Combined with their long, snaggly front teeth they look ferocious, but wolf-eels tend to be aggressive only to other wolf-eels…Habitat: Reefs & Pilings Diet: crabs, sand dollars, sea urchins, crabs, snails, abalone, mussels, clams, fish Size: up to 8.2 feet (2.5 m) long Range: Pacific coast of North America from northern Baja California to Kodiak Island, Alaska, west to Russia and south to Sea of Japan Relatives: wolffishes; Family: Anarchichadidae…
(Read More: Monterrey Bay Aquarium)
