The second half, ocellatus, is Latin for “eye-like spots”, a perfect description of the wolf-eel’s skin. Its scientific name, Anarrhichthys ocellatus, comes from both Greek and Latin - Anarrhichthys comes from the Greek Anarhichas, a Greek fish that the wolf-eel resembles. Divers travel from around the world to glimpse these fascinating creatures, and hope that they, too, will be able to say that they “Danced with Wolfies”.Īctually a wolf fish, not an eel, wolf-eels can be found as far south as San Diego and northward to the Aleutian Islands. There’s something about the ugly face of an adult wolf-eel staring at you from its den that will turn an ordinary dive into a great one – poor visibility, terrible weather, rotten currents….all will be forgotten once a Wolfie appears. Get any group of divers together in the Pacific Northwest and ask them what makes a really GREAT dive, and invariably one of the things they will agree on is that a wolf-eel will somehow be involved. The Ugly Old Man of the Sea: The Wolf-Eel I scaled it down for publishing in Northwest Dive News (NWDN), in which it appeared in the August 2005 issue. A longer article appeared in Advanced Diver magazine (ADM) issue # 14. It struck me that the best means of answering his question would be to post the text of an article I wrote regarding wolf-eel biology and life cycle. I posted another shot of a juvenile wolf-eel on the club gallery that appears here:Ĭalvin asked me a question regarding wolf-eel "parenting" after hatching. A dive becomes special the moment I spot one!Ĭalvin and Nailer have recently posted some great footage and a still photo of a juvenile wolf-eel. There’s still a lot to find out about these creatures and perhaps the future hides insights regarding even more complex behavior!Īuthor’s note: And then you wander why some people just won’t swim if their feet can’t touch the bottom!Īuthor's query: Would you dare dive into the cold waters and discover this and many other beautiful creatures? Would you prefer a next post about a deadly predator or about a sweet and loving animal?Īuthor's suggestion: Do take sometime and check out this youtube video with sound on.Wolf-eels simply intrigue me.they always have. Who would have believed that this eel-like fish with the menacing face, can actually have a partner for his whole life and protect their offspring as caring as they do? After the youngsters are hatched they are left on their own to swim in the ocean until they mature and settle in a den. It takes four months for their eggs to hatch. Male and Female wolf eel cuddling in their ned We should mention that at most cases, the female usually share their den with her mate and apparently they mate for life. It’s nice to cuddle in the cold waters, isn’t it? Indeed they take turns protecting them and at times it has been observed that the male can curl around the female that is curled around their eggs. The females lay up to 10.000 eggs and both the parents protect the developing eggs by curling their bodies around them. The wolf eels form pairs at 4 years old and their spawning time of year is from October to late winter. However they may become irritated and are capable of inflicting painful bites to divers. The Wolf Eels are generally curious and feeding them is a popular activity amongst divers. The wolf eels may reach up to 204.3 cm and yes, this is 2 meters and 4.3 centimeters! (or 7ft 10 in), not to mention 18.4 (41 lb) in weight! They can live up to 25 years. The younger eels usually are orange with darker stripes. The body of the male wolf eels is mostly gray, while the female have a brownish color. Their strong jaws will simply crash any prey comes their way when they are hungry. Wolf eels feed on mussels, clams, sea urchins (!) and occasionally fish. They live in the North Pacific along North America’s coast, all the way from southern Alaska to California. Wolf eels are found in caves and rocky reefs and you may meet them in shallow water to a depth of 226 meters. They look more like a long eel-like fish, and if you only see their face, you will surely be confused. They actually belong to a fish group with the name “Perciform Fishes”. They have most of the eels’ characteristics, except that they also have a pectoral fin on each side of their body (which true eels do not have). The Wolf Eel (official name: Anarrhichtys Ocellatus) are fascinating creatures, master predators and caring parents.
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