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.