![]() ![]() I don’t recommend doing this, as petting fish removes a protective slime coating which keep them safe from disease. Some wolf eels will even let a cautious diver pet them. At some popular dive sites, wolf eels will casually exit their dens and approach a diver to see if they have any food. As such there is some controversy over divers feeding them. During casual observation, I have seen large males come halfway out of their den to “fend off” intrusive divers and block their mate and eggs from sight.īut in reality, wolf eels are quite docile, friendly, and very curious. The females will often be smaller and browner in appearance, with males larger and grayer. You can often find them coinhabiting a small cave, day after day, carefully taking care of their eggs and taking turns to venture out to feed. ![]() Living for at least 28 years, many wolf eels will mate for life. In fact, of all the fish I have ever had the pleasure of diving with, wolf eels are some of the most dedicated lovers. But octopus have also been known to eradicate pesky wolf eels.ĭespite their frightening appearance, wolf eels just want to be loved. They have been known to share dens with giant pacific octopus, lingcod, rockfish, and sculpin. Identified by their often brilliant orange color, juvenile wolf eels remain pelagic for up to 2 years and slowly settle benthically into nearshore reefs to find a proper den. Their sharp canines are perfect for crushing through shells. Wolf eels tend to live in caves or cracks between boulders and feed on crustaceans (crab and shrimp), as well as urchins, mussels, clams, and the occasional fish. Although they aren’t a true eel, they fill a similar niche. Wolf eels can reach a remarkable length of 7ft 10 inches and 41 pounds. But don’t call them wolf fish – that’s something else. To me, wolf eels resemble the face of an old man who spent a little too much time under the sun, died, and then reanimated as a zombie.įound to depths of 740 feet in the North Pacific from Japan to Southern California, wolf eels are neither wolf nor eel. But without a doubt, wolf eels ( Anarrhichthys ocellatus) rank in the top five. Having scientifically identified thousands upon thousands of fish at sea in the North Pacific, it’s still quite hard for me to pick my top contenders. So many, in fact, this is a frequent topic of debate among divers, scientists, and late-night TV hosts. Which one is the ugliest? Well, it’s really hard to say. They have been found at depths up to 226 m (740 ft).There are a lot of ugly fish in the sea. They often occupy only one den, unless they are driven out by a larger wolf eel or a large octopus. Adults live on the bottom, usually among rocks in subtidal areas. This species ranges from the Seas of Okhotsk and Japan to the Krenitzen Islands, in the Aleutian chain, and to Imperial Beach, southern California. Age at maturity occurs at 4 to 7 years, suggesting these may be long-lived fish. The maximum lifespan of a wolf eel is not known. Wolf can grow up to 240 cm (7.87 ft) in length, and 18.4 kg (40.5 lbs) in weight. Young wolf eel are often orangish with dark areas merging into stripes at the rear of the body. This species has up to 233 soft anal fin rays. Its dorsal fin is long and has flexible spines and no soft rays. This species lacks pelvic fins and has no lateral line. Larger wolf eels tend to be more mottled. It has dark round spots with pale rings along the body and fins. ![]() Color dominance tends to vary between male and female wolf eel with, the females being brown and the males being dominantly grey. The body is mostly gray to brown and sometimes greenish. A long eel-like fish (but not a ‘true’ eel) with a large, square head and stout canine teeth at the front of the mouth. ![]()
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