Candice LandauLast Updated on November 28, 2024 by Candice Landau
I saw my first wolf eel in 2016 during my Advanced Open Water class. I was diving out of Mike’s Beach Resort when at about 70 feet of depth, a wolf eel rose out of an old truck tire and like a curl of smoke, slowly unfurled its long gray body to inspect the strange denizens passing it by.
Though it’s face was gruesomely ugly—wrinkled, scarred and lumpy—I could tell it meant us no harm. As we drew closer it shrank back, tentative, watching each movement we made, constantly assessing. Opening and clothing its mouth to breathe, it seemed at once to me to be gasping for breath as it did to be attempting to commune.
After the dive, my instructor told me some people fed the “wolfies” out here, even scratched them under the chin. Though I knew I’d never personally go that far (accidents happen and those teeth look sharp), I’d later realize he was right when I dived with a friend who had a penchant for doing just this whenever we hit the Hood Canal in Washington State. Curiously, the wolf eels seemed to enjoy the chin-scratching, leaning into it much like a pet dog or cat.
Over time, I would also develop a deep respect for these creatures as well as a desire to understand them when I dived with and fed them as part of my role as a volunteer diver at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. I would come to realize how little has been written about them and that they are incredibly understudied, which, given their intelligence, is a shame, as it is for most fish who are usually only studied, at least in the U.S. as a resource, or for drug-testing potential.
Related Reading >> The Woefully Misunderstood Wolf Eel
In this article I’d like to share a couple of things: firstly, information about the wolf eel and what it actually is (spoiler art, it’s a fish, not an eel), and information on its conservation status as well as possible threats to it.
I hope that one day someone will study these creatures not as a food source but for no other reason than to understand and learn more about them, ultimately to protect them.
A brief overview of the humble wolf eel
Wolf eels can be found from Alaska to California, usually tucked into rocky crevices and holes where a mate occasionally accompanies them. They are known and beloved by divers thanks to their striking “old-man” appearance but also because they are indeed the gentle giants of our colder waters.
Seeing a wolf eel out and about swimming is always a treat as they can grow up to 8 feet in length and look like a really strange muscly cross between a fish and an eel with a gorgeous dappled pattern that is most prominent when they are in their juvenile form.
According to the Seattle Aquarium, their diet consists primarily of crabs, sand dollars, abalone, sea urchins, snails, fish, and mussels and they use their strong jaws to crush these oftentimes hard (or spiky) foods. When I volunteered in the Oregon Coast Aquarium, I’d clamber into my drysuit and dip into the tank to feed them squid. I was frequently surprised by how slowly they took it and by how often they missed, only for it to be taken by an opportunistic fish that swooped between us. I recall getting terribly annoyed with the other fish as they swooped between us stealing what was meant for the wolf eels.
The wolf eel’s scientific name—a linguistic mouthful
Scientifically speaking, the wolf eel is known as Anarrhichthys ocellatus. Normally I’d stick this in parentheses but the name’s linguistic roots are fascinating in that they speak to the wolf eels physical characteristics and behavior.
The word Anarrhichthys is derived from the Greek words anarrhichos (meaning climbing up) and ichthys (meaning fish). This likely refers to the wolf eel’s ability to navigate and climb among rocky crevices where it establishes its den.
The word ocellatus comes from the Latin word ocellus meaning little eye or eye-like spot. This likely refers to the distinctive eye-like spots on the bodies of juvenile wolf eels. These spots can help with camouflage and mimic the appearance of eyes to confuse predators. They are really striking as juveniles and most people who see them for the first time think them a different fish entirely from the fully grown wolf eel.
It just goes to show how much thought often does go into naming a species.
A not so fishy name
Despite their name, wolf eels aren’t true eels (even though they somewhat look like them). They actually belong to the wolffish family which is characterized by elongated bodies and large, muscular jaws.
So, what makes them different? Well, anatomically and physically speaking, wolf eels have large pectoral fins behind their heads. They use these for stability and for maneuvering in rocky crevices. True eels lack these fins or have very reduced ones. What true eels have is a continuous fin structure with their dorsal, caudal (tail), and anal fins forming a single ribbon-like structure. Wolf eels do not have this fused fin system.
Another difference lies within the realm of habitat and behavior. Wolf eels are benthic creatures meaning they live near the seafloor in rocky crevices or caves. They are also more territorial and den-based. True eels, by comparison are more diverse in habitat and behavior. Some are benthic like moray eels, while others, like freshwater eels, migrate vast distances to spawn.
Another primary difference between wolf eels and true eels is that wolf eels exhibit unique parental care. Both the male and female guard their eggs until they hatch which is unusual for true eels. True eels also have a larval stage which is absent in wolf eels.
Though their appearances at first blush look similar, the elongated snake-like shape present in both wolffish and true eel is really a result of convergent evolution, in which unrelated species develop similar traits to adapt to similar environments or lifestyles.
Are wolf eels at risk due to human impact?
Gregory Krutzikowsky of the Marine Resources Program at the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife oversees the Oregon Nearshore Strategy program, which is the marine component of the Oregon Conservation Strategy. In an email Greg told me that because wolf eels are not a major fishery species, and do not have great economic importance to humans “They are perhaps not as intensively well studied as they could be.” He agreed that it would be good to do a story on wolf eels for the general public as it has great potential for raising awareness of this species, especially if there are strong pictures to go with it.
Although wolf eels are currently listed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN, their nearshore habitats make them vulnerable to human activity. The lack of studies on them and lack of monitoring as a whole also mean the data is suspect. Thankfully wolf eels are not specifically targeted by commercial fisheries in the regions where they occur. Though incidental catches do happen, regulations focus on managing these catches to ensure conservation of wolf eel populations.
That said, the reality of coastal development, pollution, and habitat degradation all pose threats to the rocky reefs wolf eels call home. For example, runoff from urban areas can degrade water quality, while boat traffic and recreational diving can disturb their dens. As much as I love spotting and photographing wolf eels on my dives, I know that if 100 other divers feel the same way, the wolf eels in question may have a desire to abandon their dens. Again, more research needs to be done into the impact even divers have on these fish. For now, the best approach seems to be to advocate for protecting nearshore marine environments that house them and many other potentially threatened species too.
Are wolf eels intelligent?
While no specific studies exist on wolf eel intelligence (what a surprise), broader research on fish cognition reveals a surprising depth of mental abilities. Many fish species can learn from experience, recognize individuals, and solve problems, like mazes.
Wolf eels’ complex social behaviors—like forming monogamous pair bonds and jointly guarding their egg masses—suggest they’re more than instinct-driven animals as do the affectionate relationships they develop with keepers in aquariums and with divers out and about.
In fact, encounters with wolf eels often leave divers like myself marveling at their apparent curiosity, but whether this reflects true sentience remains a topic for future research. What’s clear is that these behaviors add to their charm and make a strong case for their protection.
Why wolf eels matter
Given the wolf eel is a “strategy species” (a species that has a small or declining population, is at-risk, and/or is of management concern) according to the Oregon Conservation Strategy website, it is evident more studies need to be undertaken. It is my hope that if more of us take a deeper dive into the species, we will encourage those with the means to pursue studying them.
These friendly, little-studied fish are reminders of how much we have yet to learn in the realm of fish, sentience, cognition, and anything related to animals that is not solely for the benefit of using them as a resource.
With that in mind, share your wolf eel stories. I’d love to hear them.
