E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Wildlife of British Columbia

Anarrhichthys ocellatus Ayres, 1855
Wolf Eel; Wolf-Eel
Family: Anarhichadidae

Introduction to the Fish

Source: Distribution of Anarrhichthys ocellatus as compiled by Aquamaps

E-Fauna's interactive maps for fish are not yet available.

Species Information

Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 200. Dorsal with 228-250 spines. Caudal small. Anal with up to 233 rays.

Source: FishBase. Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H Hammann. 1983 . (Ref. 2850) .

Biology

Species Biology

Adults seek shelter among rocks in subtidal areas (Ref. 2850) and will occupy the same shelter until driven out by larger wolf-eels or a large octopus (Ref. 28499). Juveniles are pelagic for up to two years (Ref. 28499). Feed on hard-shelled invertebrates and fishes (Ref. 2850). Both male and female wrap their body around the egg mass to keep the eggs in place and to deter predators (Ref. 58332). Large specimens can inflict a painful bite (Ref. 28499). demersal; marine; depth range 1 - 226 m (Ref. 2850) . Temperate climate.

Source: FishBase. Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H Hammann. 1983 . (Ref. 2850) .

Distribution

North Pacific: Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan to the Krenitzen Islands, in the Aleutian chain and Imperial Beach, southern California, USA.

Source: FishBase. Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H Hammann. 1983 . (Ref. 2850) .

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	SNR	No Status	NAR (May 2003)

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer--the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic and lineage information (NCBI Taxonomy Browser)

Additional Range and Status Information Links

NatureServe Explorer
University of Alaska Museum

Additional Photo Sources

Flickr Image Search
Google Image Search
Images from Calphoto

Related Databases

fishbase

General References

FishBase References
Google Scholar Search

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2021. E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Fauna of British Columbia [efauna.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2025-02-17 4:50:41 PM]

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