![]() ![]() Wolffishes have particularly strong jaw muscles as they feed on creatures with solid shells like mussels, clams, and sea urchins. On detecting something entering the mouth, sensory nerves send signals to the brain, which then sends more nerve signals to the jaw muscles, telling them to contract. Essentially, the jaw is programmed to bite. "This is obviously a neuromuscular reflex, with receptors in the jaws and/or mouth cavity which register if anything (a prey, normally) is in the mouth," said Björnsson. So how did the fish manage to bite the can after being decapitated? This they bite down very hard with very sharp teeth, and they don’t let go. the contents of a bottom trawl is dumped on the deck of a trawler and the fishermen stand knee-deep in various species of fish, working on sorting and separating, an often-used routine was to stick a broom handle or similar into the mouths of the stray wolffish in the catch, so that nobody would be hurt by accidentally sticking a hand or a foot in their gaping jaws. "The wolffishes have a notorious biting reflex which is well-known by fishermen," said Björnsson. "Thus when e.g. It eats crustaceans as well as mollusks, smaller fishes, and worms. Now I use Sony gear.Ĭheck out Bluewater Travel to book West Coast dive trips in California."I would most definitely think that this is a spotted wolffish ( Anarhichas minor)," Professor Björn Thrandur Björnsson, head of the fish endocrinology laboratory at the University of Gothenburg, told IFLScience. The spotted wolffish is found in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans and can grow to almost 2 meters (6.5 feet) in length. Just speak with the staff at Hood Sport ‘n Dive and they’ll put you in the right direction! Be sure to check out our guide to Diving the Pacific Northwest! Wide angle photos were shot with an Olympus Mirrorless Camera, Panasonic 8mm fisheye lens, and dual Sea & Sea Strobes. I’ve seen about 10 in a dive there before. At Sund Rock they are shyer, but almost guaranteed if you know where to find them. Many will swim out of their holes to great you. At Day Island Wall, some divers feed the wolf eels so they are very nice to divers. ![]() Often their bodies can span two or three different holes, so you might find a tail before you find a head! The best sites in the Puget Sound are arguable Day Island Wall and Sund Rock. Wolf eel dens are often found in two different types of terrain – they are found in small holes in rock and clay walls (usually from a depth of 40-80ft), or they are found on rocky slopes with medium to large boulders in the holes between the boulders. Though relatively common, wolf eels can be difficult to spot for the inexperienced wolf eel spotter, and they are frequent at only a few sites around the Puget Sound. However, each fish has its own disposition – some get nervous and retreat into their holes. Many wolf eels are curious about divers and can come out tor great you. The female coils around its eggs and takes care of them as they incubate, and the male will coil around the family and stand guard. When a wolf eel finds a mate, it will find a suitable home – usually a hole among boulders on a rocky reef – and mate for life, living in the same hole year after year. ![]() Though one might not expect it, wolf eels are actually very loving creatures. In fact, some wolf eels have been known to allow divers to play with them and pet them (though this might be exacerbated by a history of feeding them). Most actually have very friendly dispositions. They break these apart with their strong back molars. Though predatory, most of their diet consists of shellfish like crabs and urchins. Despite the name, wolf eels are not true eels, though they do have long, slender bodies and sharp canines. Known fondly by divers as “wolfies,” wolf eels are the second most charismatic underwater creature accessible to divers in the Northwest (after the Giant Pacific Octopus). In the Pacific Northwest, however, the debate has long been put to rest – everyone agrees that the world’s ugliest fish is the wolf eel (Anarrhichthys ocellatus). Perhaps one of the oldest and greatest traditions of ocean-going folk is to debate which of the ocean’s vast selection of odd-ball creatures is the ugliest. ![]()
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