![]() ![]() Wolffish may not be the prettiest fish in the sea, but there is much more to them than meets the eye. The spotted wolffish, for example, isn’t ready to mate until they are seven! The offspring take a long time to develop, and often don’t reach sexual maturity until they are five years or older. Females will lay thousands, or even tens of thousands, of eggs, then both the male and the female defend the eggs until they hatch. If you weren’t impressed with the wolffish enough: they are dedicated parents, too! They typically live alone, but during breeding season they form bonded pairs to reproduce (some are even thought to mate for life). One study showed that wolffish species that stay in shallower waters have five times the antifreeze proteins than their deep-sea wolffish relatives because shallow-water habitats are more likely to freeze. These proteins bind to small ice crystals and prevent them from growing in the wolffish. They produce a special antifreeze protein that lowers the freezing point of the fluids in their bodies. Wolffish have another trick up their sleeves (fins?) to survive in cold waters. Other than their sharp teeth, you can recognize them by their long, eel-like bodies. They use these chompers to dig into the sediment for food and to break apart the hard shells of clams, urchins, crabs and more. The largest wolf ever documented was a Northwestern or (Mackenzie Valley) Wolf that was trapped in Alaska in 1939. Their teeth are so prominent that some poke out their mouths (picture a vampire in need of braces). ![]() Wolffish have one main thing in common with wolves: they have sharp teeth and strong jaws that help them rip apart their prey. They like to hide out in nooks and crannies of rocky outcrops on the ocean floor. Theyre the biggest species on this list: although most specimens stay smaller, they have the potential to reach up to a whopping 10 feet in length. Wolffish are found in the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans at depths up to 2,000 feet. That is partially because they live in cold, deep waters that slow their metabolism down and make it harder to make fast movements. The family name comes from the Greek word anarrhichesis, which means “to climb,” but these animals are typically pretty sluggish. ![]() The scientific name for the Atlantic wolffish contains lupus, which is the Latin word for “wolf.” The largest species is the wolf-eel, which can grow to more than seven feet long. The name “wolffish” can refer to any one of five species in the family Anarhichadidae, which includes the wolf-eel and the Atlantic, spotted, Bering and northern wolffish. Today we’re taking a deeper look at these one-of-a-kind fish. They might not be as classically captivating as their terrestrial namesakes, but they are still very cool critters. Characteristics: Moray eels vary greatly in size the Snyders moray is only about 5 inches long, whereas the slender giant moray can exceed 13 feet in length. Think less Call of the Wild and more Nightmare Before Christmas. Are you picturing fierce, powerful, majestic animals that lope gracefully through the landscape? ![]()
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