Zvíře
Atlantic wolffish
Anarhichas lupus. A cold-water predator with teeth for gripping and crushing.
Jazyk obsahu
An Atlantic wolffish has two different sets of teeth at work. Long teeth at the front grasp prey, while rounded teeth deeper in the jaws and on the palate crush hard coverings. This feeding apparatus lets it eat molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms, including sea urchins. Its fearsome-looking teeth are therefore linked to particular kinds of food.
The Atlantic wolffish inhabits the northern Atlantic and neighbouring seas. It prefers cold water. Its blood plasma contains proteins that inhibit freezing, an adaptation to low temperatures. This is a very different setting from a warm coral reef, although both environments support specialised predatory fish.
It is a bottom-dwelling fish with a fairly sedentary lifestyle. On rocky seabeds it occupies crevices that provide shelter. It does not need to travel constantly through open water to find a suitable place to live. Its teeth and preference for rocky hiding places are associated with feeding on animals that live near the seabed.
Pro děti
A wolffish has teeth for different jobs. Long teeth at the front grip its prey. Farther back, rounded teeth crush hard shells and coverings. The fish eats molluscs, crustaceans and sea urchins. Its unusual mouth helps it reach food protected by a hard outer layer.
Its natural home is the northern Atlantic and neighbouring seas. It lives in cold water. Special proteins that inhibit freezing occur in its blood. This is one of its adaptations to a chilly environment.
Wolffish stay close to the bottom and are not very active. They find crevices to hide in on rocky seabeds. Not every predatory fish has to swim quickly through the open ocean. This species uses rocky shelters and strong teeth to feed on animals living near the bottom.
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What do rounded teeth deep in a wolffish’s mouth do?
- Umístění
- Cold Seas, level -1, tank 802 · Gdynia Aquarium