Creature Feature – Smalltooth Sawfish
This week’s featured creature is the Smalltooth Sawfish.
Sawfish are easily distinguished by their long, saw-like rostra. While they are often mistaken for sharks they are actually rays. Sawfishes are arguably the most threatened family of marine fishes in the world. The global populations of all five species have experienced historic declines greater than 90%
Taxonomy
Scientific Name: Pristis pectinata
Phylum: Chordata
Order: Rhinopristiformes
Family: Prestidae
Genus: Pristis
© D Ramey Logan
Smalltooth Sawfish Fact File
Size: The smalltooth sawfish is one of the largest species of sawfish, reaching lengths of up to 7.6m, and weighing up to 350kg
Distribution: They mostly live in warm, shallow waters off the coast of the southeastern United States and in parts of the Caribbean Sea. Sometimes, individuals are spotted off the west coast of Africa. However, today, the species is generally only found off the coast of Florida
Diet: Their diet consists primarily of fish and invertebrates e.g., shrimp and crabs
Behaviour: This species reproduces via internal fertilisation and give birth to well-developed, live young. After birth, the young receive no further parental care and are immediately self sufficient with respect to feeding and avoiding predation. Similar to swordfish and thresher sharks. They use their rostra to slash through schools of fish, swinging it from side to side to impale and stun prey
IUCN Status: Critically Endangered. The main threat to populations is overfishing, but they also suffers from habitat loss. Both their fins (used in shark fin soup) and “saw” (as novelty items) are highly valuable, and the meat is used as food
