Bering wolffish

Bering wolffish ( Anarhichas orientalis)

The Bering Sea Wolf ( Anarhichas orientalis ), the Pacific (hence " eastern ", orientalis) counterpart to the Atlantic wolffish ( Atlantic wolffish, A. lupus).

Features

He achieved (proven ) 112 cm 15 kg weight and length at the age of 17 years ( but will probably also taller and older ). The almost cylindrical body is light to dark brown marbled (sometimes almost banded ). The small rounded caudal fin is almost touched by the dorsal and anal fin. Fins formula: D 83-86, A 54, C 19, P 22 In the upper jaw are four pairs of fangs; the teeth affects overall but slightly less powerful than the catfish.

Way of life

Very little is known about the biology. The diet consists of snails ( eg Buccinum ), shellfish (eg Mya ), crabs, sea urchins ( Strongylocentrotus example ), starfish, sometimes fish. Is spawned in October and November. No doubt he guarded his lumps very large eggs. Only the local Inuit (Alaska, Canada) operate subsistence for him, so that he should not be at risk.

Dissemination

Rocky shelf waters (10-100 m depth) of the North Pacific between Hokkaidō, the Aleutian Islands and Alaska, but only partially proven. Even less is known about his arctic distribution - it is only from Bathurst Inlet ( Canada ) detected.