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  • Dut: gewone zeewolf (zeewolf, wolf)
  • Lat: Anarhichas lupus
  • Eng: Sea wolf, Atlantic wolffish, Atlantic catfish, wolf eel, sea cat
  • Ger: Seewolf (Karbonadenfisch, Gestreifter Katfisch)
  • Fre: Loup (Grande castagnole)
  • Dan: Kotteletfisk
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Sea wolf

If caught, a sea wolf can bite fiercely with its long sharp front teeth, which is how it got its name. The benthic fish lives in solitary and can grow to 1.2 meters in length. It eats molluscs (whelks, large bivalves), echinoderms (sea cucumbers and sea urchins) and crustaceans. Its hind teeth are short and wide, suitable for grinding shellfish. Sea wolves live on rocky bottoms, from ten to four hundred meters deep and therefore are rare along the Dutch coast.

  • Reproduction

    Sea wolves spawn from October till January. The females lay ball-shaped clumps of eggs at a depth of 10-120 meters deep. The male guards the eggs during the two months they need to ripen. When the larvae hatch, they are around eighteen millimeters long. Young sea wolf live freely in the water column.

  • Ugly head

    Sea wolf is a consumption fish, however it is not landed in large amounts. The fish meat is a delicacy and is sold fresh or smoked. The unattractive head of the sea wolf is usually removed before being displayed for sale.

  • Distribution of sea wolf
    Distribution of the sea wolf, Ecomare