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The wolffishes are a family, Anarhichadidae, of perciform fishes. They are native to cold waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, where they live on the continental shelf and slope, to depths of about 600 m.
SUBORDER ZOARCOIDEI
Includes ronquils, eelpouts, pricklebacks, wrymouths, gunnels, wolffishes, quillfishes, prowfishes, graveldivers
SUBORDER NOTOTHENIOIDEI
Includes bovichtids, notothens, plunderfishes, Antarctic dragonfishes, crocodile icefishes ...
Minke whales feed on krill; fish, including sand lace, sand eel, salmon, capelin, mackerel, cod, coal fish, whiting, sprat, wolffish, dogfish, pollack, haddock, and herring; and squid. Capelin are the dominant food item of North Atlantic minkes.
Hooded seals, Cystophora cristata, feed in deep water diving to depths of 100-600 m. Their diet varies regionally and includes: Greenland halibut, redfish, cod, wolffish, capelin, and herring. Octopus, squid, shrimp and mussels are also eaten.
Their prey is predominantly composed of Greenland halibut, polar and Arctic cod, shrimp and Gonatus squid. Additional items found in stomachs have included wolffish, capelin, skate eggs and sometimes rocks, ...
With its fierce looking face and long body you can see how the wolf-eel got its name. Wolf-eels are not actually true eels, but classified in the family Anarhichadidae with other "wolffishes".
The closely related wolffishes of the family Anarhichadidae, with large, tusklike teeth, are found in arctic Atlantic waters. They average 3 ft (90 cm) in length and are good food fishes, sold commercially as "ocean catfish.
 See also: Eel, Wolf, Diver, Whale, Herring
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