![]() Wolf Eel native habitat, distribution, behavior & aquarium compatibility. The fish simply snapped the handle in half. Diet: Carnivore Origin: West Indo-Pacific. He pried the wolf-eel’s mouth open and inserted a small narrow broom handle to keep it open. ![]() An angler had caught a medium-sized fish and wanted to save his leader that was imbedded deeply in the mouth of the fish. i have one spot left in my house for a tank i already have 4 running including one other saltwater tank but would a 65 gallon be fine for a green wolf eel. The flesh can be filleted or steaked and cooked in almost any manner although poaching and steaming is a favorite.Ĭomments : I saw the power of a wolf-eel’s mouth once when I was fishing at the old Moss Landing Pier. To land one, use a heavy size 2 to 2/0 hook and heavy line (20- to 40-pound test) or even a wire leader.įood Value: Delicious mild flavored flesh that is white in color and dense in texture. Because of their strength and habit of retreating to rocks as soon as hooked, most that are hooked are probably not landed. They eat fish, molluscs (squid and cuttlefish), and crustaceans (. Shoreline: Taken by anglers fishing in rocky areas in central and northern California.īoats: An inshore species rarely take from boats.īait and Tackle :Wolf-eels will hit almost any bait but I’ve seen them caught most often on shrimp, small crabs, mussels, abalone or on anchovy. They are ambush predators that pounce on a prey as it passes by. What eats a wolf eel Wolf Eel Predators and Prey. Best bets: Port San Luis Pier, Cayucos Pier, Santa Cruz Wharf, Fort Baker Pier, Point Arena Pier, Trinidad Pier, and Citizens Dock in Crescent City. Only the tribal healers were allowed to eat this fish, as it was supposed to enhance their healing powers. Piers : Not common at any pier but a few are taken every year from piers in central and northern California that are located near rocks or reefs. Found in deeper water south of Point Conception, in shallow water near rocks and kelp north of Point Conception. Habitat : Found in intertidal waters to a depth of 1,036 feet. Uncommon but not rare south of Point Conception. Common from Central California to Gulf of Alaska. Also reported from the Sea of Japan and Sea of Okhotsk. Range: Northern Baja California, to Gulf of Alaska, southeastern Bering Sea to Cape Menshikof, west along the Aleutians Islands to the Krenitzen Islands. ![]() Pier-caught wolf-eels are rarely more than 2-3 feet long. Size : To 79.9 inches although there are rumors of eight-foot wolf-eels. Related to the blennies it is not an eel. Their coloring is green to gray with round dark spots on the dorsal fins and body. Identification :The body is long and eel-shaped the mouth is large and filled with large, canine-like, teeth. Called doctorfish in Alaska, lo’l, lo’ox, or st’aaxaam in British Columbia. Specie s: Anarrhichthys ocellatus (Ayres, 1855) from the Greek word anar-hichas (an ancient name for a fish which resembled this species) and the Latin word ocellatus (eye-like spots).Īlternate Names :Moray eel. If wolf eels are not regularly given crunchy foods (crabs, sea urchins, etc.), it will affect their teeth.ĭespite their looks and those large, strong teeth, wolf eels are actually known for being gentile and curious.Picture courtesy Outdoor Writers Association of California The male will then wrap his body around the female to protect them.Īs juveniles wolf eels are brightly colored, and lack the strong molars adults have so they typically will stick to a diet of fish until they grow in those teeth.Ī common problem biologists face in keeping these animals in captivity is making sure to keep giving them a crunchy diet. She will then wrap her body around the eggs, to shape them into a neat sphere. Females will lay up to 10,000 eggs at a time. Wolf eels are also attentive parents and they mate for life. They have a strong set of teeth for crunching through the shells of crabs, sand dollars, and sea urchins. But I was diving at my favorite dive spot which in a couple months will be turned into a permanent no take zone so I decided to spear anything that moved. I wouldnt normally consider it a species to target for hunting, and I havent seen many of them anyways. They are native to the Pacific Ocean, and are typically found in crevices, caves, or in some form of shelter. I never thought to try eating a wolf eel before. They can grow up to a little over 7ft and weigh about 40lb. If you look closely you will see they have pectoral fins (the ones on the sides) and true eels lack these. To start off the wolf eel is not a true eel, it is a member of the wolf fish family. Definitely not one of the beauties of the ocean but a really interesting animal none-the-less.
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