Monster from the deep!

We catch some strange things each year, everything from ratfish, sunfish, skate and evey once in a while some monster like this wolf eel.  This awesome creature is actually quite friendly despite his fierce looks he is often seen by divers peering out of the many crevices and holes. They come out of there dens in search of their favorite food (Sea Urchins), this impressive fish is a sight to behold, growing to a maximum length of 8'. While not a true eel (eels have no pectoral fins), wolfies are actually a fish with an elongated body and are referred to by scientists as a "wolf-fish".  Typically living in rocky reef-type habitats from the intertidal zone down to about 740 feet. Their diet consists of sea urchins, crabs, scallops -- assorted crustaceans and mollusks. They eat these with the help of conical teeth in the front and strong pulverizing molars in back.  We found this one in our crab pot !