The wolf fish has the ability to live pretty much everywhere in the
tropical climate in Suriname, the smallest independent country in South
America, whether the waters are shallow or deep: small streams, river
springs, sparse water puddles, lakes,
rivers — all provide suitable
abodes. This creature can reach 39 inches (100 centimeters) in length
and get as large as 88 pounds (40 kilograms), and it comes out at dusk
and during the night to feed on other fish and small invertebrates.
Good Boy or Bad?
Some wolf fish are known to be shy,
while others are aggressive. Knowledgeable fishermen know they have to
be extremely careful when they're out canoeing, because they don't know
what type of behavior wolf fish will exhibit. Sometimes, these river
monsters will jump onto shore or into a canoe to attack their prey.
Depending upon their size, female wolf fish can carry anywhere from
6,000 to 60,000 eggs during the species' breeding season, which
coincides with the rainy season from December to March.
Safer on Land:
Some of the biggest wolf fish — and
the most concentrated number of them — live in the Courantyne River in
the northern part of South America, while the more aggressive species
exist in the Coppename River. There have been reported cases of wolf
fish attacks on humans and other animals. One of the most well-known
reports is the story of a diver who, while inspecting the dam at
Suriname's Afobaka power plant, became the victim of a brutal wolf fish
attack. Other attack stories include one about a dog that was killed by
two large wolf fish after he fell in a stream while trying to walk
across it on a log, and another about a fisherman who was bitten on his
foot while wading in water.
Jeremy Wade's Tips for Catching a Wolf Fish:
"This was true guerilla fishing:
short-range, shallow water, after dark, in the middle of trees, in a
place where I'd seen movement in the water before."
