Cold Water

Wolf Eel

Anarrhichthys ocellatus · Bony fish — family Anarhichadidae (wolffishes); an elongated wolffish, not a true eel

Wolf-eels are the gargoyles of the Pacific Northwest — huge gray heads, swollen jowls, teeth like broken crockery — and among its gentlest residents. Not true eels but elongated wolffishes, they pair long-term and share a den, sometimes two faces stacked in one crevice watching the water column go by. The crushing dentition is for urchins, crabs, and clams; divers get curiosity instead, and pairs at well-known dens will ease halfway out to inspect visitors. Juveniles look like a different species, burnt orange with a purple sheen, swimming open water before settling into rock. The old practice of hand-feeding urchins to resident pairs has faded for good reason — fed animals lose caution, and teeth meet fingers by accident. Come in low and off to one side, and let a swimming wolf-eel pass; it is likely commuting between dens.