Seawolf (fish)
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| Seawolf | ||||||||||||||
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| Anarrhichas lupus Linnaeus, 1758 |
The Seawolf (Anarrhichas lupus), also known as the Sea Cat or Wolf-fish, is a marine fish, the largest of the family Anarhichadidae. In spite of its large size, it has retained the bodily form and general external characteristics of the small blennies. Its body is long, subcylindrical in front, compressed in the caudal portion, smooth and slippery, the rudimentary scales being embedded and almost hidden in the skin. An even dorsal fin extends the whole length of the back, and a similar fin from the vent to the caudal fin, as in blennies. The pectorals are large and rounded, the pelvic fins entirely absent.
Its dentition distinguishes the Seawolf from all the other members of the family. Both jaws are armed in front with strong conical teeth, and on the sides with two series of large tubercular molars, a biserial band of similar molars occupying the middle of the palate. By these teeth the Seawolf is able to crush the hard carapaces or shells of the crustaceans and molluscs on which it feeds; The rocks between which it hides are usually strewn about with the broken shells of its prey. That it uses the teeth as a weapon of defence and deserves the character of ferocity generally attributed to it would appear to be rather questionable. The teeth wear down because of excessive grinding, so a new set grows in annually. In the interim, however, it is supposed that the fish will fast for months while it waits for the new teeth to grow in.
Seawolves are inhabitants of the northern seas of both hemispheres, being common on the coasts of Scandinavia and North Britain, and two in the seas round Iceland and Greenland. Two related species occur in the corresponding latitudes of the North Pacific. They attain to a length exceeding two meters, and in the north are esteemed as food, both fresh and preserved. The oil extracted from the liver is said to be in quality equal to the best cod-liver oil.