I hope I have satiated your thirst for fishy knowledge, now enjoy some cool photos of wolf eels. All 9 species of this family are found in the northern hemisphere, and only 1 species along the Pacific coast. They are pretty tasty and the tanned skin makes a nice leather. This species is sacred to some coastal natives only the medicine man ate the mukah or “doctorfish” to enhance his healing powers. Rockfish and kelp greenlings will go after unguarded wolf eel eggs.įun Facts: It’s very popular for divers to hand feed wolf eels (but leave this to the professionals because their large teeth and powerful jaws can inflict a good amount of damage). Predators: Harbor Seals have been documented eating adult wolf eels. The female massages the eggs periodically to keep oxygen circulating. She will coil around the eggs and shape them into a sphere about the size of a grapefruit. Females become mature at 7 years and can lay up to 10,000 eggs at a time. Reproduction: Males and females pair for life (like penguins, but I would rather be a cool wolf eel). Juveniles tend to be an orange-y color with a yellow stripe along the fin. Males tend to have a lighter, more bulbous head than females. Females tend to have a slightly darker, smoother head than males. Peak spawning season for Atlantic wolffish is September to October. Wolffish typically begin to reproduce by the time they reach ages 5 to 6. Wolffish are relatively sedentary and they typically live alone, except during spawning season when male and female wolffish form bonded pairs. Has large pectoral fins (unlike moray eels who lack pectoral fins), no pelvic fins, and very long dorsal and anal fins. Wolffish inhabit complex, rocky habitats. Juveniles eat small fish.ĭescription: Long, tapering body (eel-like) with large black ocellated spots (dark spots with a lighter ring around them, makes it look like an eye) on body and fins. They can be found up to 700 feet deep.ĭiet: Clams, snails, crabs, and urchins (in addition to canines, these eels have flat molars for crushing these heavily defended prey items). Range: Sea of Japan and Aleutian Islands to Southern California Scientific Name: Anarrhichthys ocellatus ( Anarhichas is an ancient name for a related species, ichthys means fish, and ocellatus means eye-like spots. I find wolf eels pretty interesting and I thought I would do a critter spotlight on them (especially since this was a momentous occasion, my first wolf eel spotting at Monterey). It was pretty long (about 2 feet) and it was hanging out in a clump of reddish algae next to the pipe (we were on our way to the metridium fields). When I got home and was able to consult my Fish ID books, it turns out that it was a juvenile wolf eel. It looked a little bit like a wolf eel with its big, round head, pectoral fins, and spots, but I had never seen an orange one. It was a cool eel-like creature that was an orange-y-red color with spots along its back. They will not harm corals in a reef environment, but are more suitable to FOWLR systems due to the fact that half of the cleaning crew may be added to the dinner menu.Just the other day a friend and I went diving at San Carlos Beach AKA The Breakwater and we stumbled upon the little guy pictured above. Tank mates should be considered carefully and can generally be other large predatory species (i.e., Groupers, large Angels, Puffers, Boxfish, Scorpion fish, Lionfish, Butterflyfish, etc.). This species should not be kept with shrimp, small lobsters, crabs, or any fish that can fit in its large mouth as they will quickly become snacks (large hermit crabs and snails should be fine). In addition to quality biological and mechanical filtration, an efficient protein skimmer is also recommended as Wolf Eels can be quite gluttonous when feeding and will have a large biological load on the system. They are not generally known to be jumpers, but should be kept in an aquarium with a hood or tight-fitting lid to help prevent their escape. Wolf Eels occur in shallow water to as deep as 740 feet. Wolf Eels require an aquarium of at least 90 gallons along with plenty of live rock for hiding and hunting (they love caves and crevices) they should also be provided with a fine, sandy substrate as they often rest on the bottom of the aquarium, laying in wait for prey to crawl or swim by. They love to eat crabs, urchins & shellfish and are not eels in the true sense of the word.
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