Shore Buddies Wisdom Wednesday
Photo by @stevepeletz
The wolf eel (though similar to the Moray Eel) is not a true eel, but part of the Anarhichadidae family of “wolf fishes”. Wolf-eels can grow up to 8 feet long and are believed to mate for life and a pair will occupy the same den year after year, and possibly their entire life unless they are forced out by a larger wolf-eel or a Giant Pacific Octopus. They begin pairing up at 4 years of age and reproduce at around 7 years. The female lays an egg mass within the den and it is guarded by both the male and female. The egg mass may have as many as 10,000 eggs and will hatch in around 16 weeks. The larval wolf-eels are pelagic and will drift around in the upper part of the water column for up to 2 years before settling out.