The wolffish are a family, Anarhichadidae, of perciform fish. They are native to cold waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

s, where they live on the continental shelf

Continental shelf

The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain. Much of the shelf was exposed during glacial periods, but is now submerged under relatively shallow seas and gulfs, and was similarly submerged during other interglacial periods. The continental margin,...

 and slope, to depths of about 600 metres (1,968.5 ft). They are bottom-feeders, eating hard-shelled invertebrates such as clam

Clam

The word "clam" can be applied to freshwater mussels, and other freshwater bivalves, as well as marine bivalves.In the United States, "clam" can be used in several different ways: one, as a general term covering all bivalve molluscs...

s, echinoderm

Echinoderm

Echinoderms are a phylum of marine animals. Echinoderms are found at every ocean depth, from the intertidal zone to the abyssal zone....

s and crustacean

Crustacean

Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...

s, which they crush with strong canine and molar teeth. The longest species, Anarrhichthys ocellatus, grows to more than 2 metres (6.6 ft) in length.

Species

There are five species in two genera:

• Genus Anarhichas
  • Northern wolffish
    Northern wolffish
    The northern wolffish , or rock turbot, is a large marine fish of the Anarhichadidae family. Other common names include the Bull-headed Catfish, Blue Catfish, Broad-headed Catfish, Jelly Wolffish, and the Arctic Wolffish...
    
    , Anarhichas denticulatus Krøyer, 1845.
  • Atlantic wolffish, Anarhichas lupus Linnaeus
    Carolus Linnaeus
    Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
    
    , 1758.
  • Spotted wolffish
    Spotted wolffish
    The spotted wolffish is a large marine fish of the Anarhichadidae family. Other common names include leopardfish and spotted catfish. It is classified as a threatened species, at risk of extinction....
    
    , Anarhichas minor Olafsen, 1772.
  • Bering wolffish, Anarhichas orientalis Pallas
    Peter Simon Pallas
    Peter Simon Pallas was a German zoologist and botanist who worked in Russia.- Life and work :Pallas was born in Berlin, the son of Professor of Surgery Simon Pallas. He studied with private tutors and took an interest in natural history, later attending the University of Halle and the University...
    
    , 1814.
• Genus Anarrhichthys
  • Wolf eel
    Wolf eel
    The wolf eel is a member of the family Anarhichadidae together with the wolffishes of the genus Anarhichas. The wolf eel is monotypic within the genus Anarrhichthys. This superficially eel-like fish feeds on crustaceans, sea urchins, mussels, clams and some fishes, crushing them with its strong jaws...
    
    , Anarrhichthys ocellatus Ayres
    William Orville Ayres
    William Orville Ayres was an American physician and ichthyologist. Born in Connecticut, he studied to become a doctor at Yale University School of Medicine....
    
    , 1855.