The sawfish lives up to its name. Its elongated body and saw-shaped mouth make this fish highly feared. The scientific name is pristis pristis and belongs to the order of the Pristiformes. In this article we are going to analyze this fabulous fish in depth to learn more about it.
Do you want to learn all the characteristics and way of life of the sawfish?
Key features
The sawfish family has two genera and seven species. They are more or less related to stripes and feature a skeleton full of cartilage. The greatest attribute and for what it is known is because the muzzle is similar to a saw. The muzzle is wrapped in a large number of pores that allow it to detect any movement to be able to hunt. This gives you a great advantage on the field.
His sensory capacity is so great that it is able to perceive the heartbeat of any animal. Most of the activities are carried out thanks to the muzzle in saw mode. It serves both for attack and defense. It is a very well balanced tool that can capture prey for immediate devouring. It uses it to defend itself from predators such as dolphins and shark. It has no teeth, but dental scales.
The muzzle is made up of 23 pairs of teeth that go in front projection. It is so large that it represents more than a quarter of its body. They can go in different directions to attack their prey which they wound with the saw. It is completely covered in sensory pores that help you perceive everything around you.
Sawfish can hunt in two ways. The first is to use its muzzle as a brush. In this way, it can attract sand from areas where prey such as crustaceans, crabs and shrimp are hiding. It can also depress its prey such as lacerating mullets, and other specimens. However, it is an easy prey for sharks when they are of juvenile age.
As they grow they are able to defend themselves against the fearsome predators of the ocean.
Behavior
The sawfish is a nocturnal animal, quite passive and spend their day resting peacefully to be active at night and hunt. Despite the fact that their appearance can appear to be dangerous and impose fear, they are quite passive fish and incapable of attacking humans. However, like many species, if threatened or attacked, it will not hesitate to defend itself.
It is a fairly sedentary animal that spends most of its time resting in quiet areas. It is usually put near sandy soils where it can find some prey under the sand. Like the rest of their species, batoid elasmobranchs can breathe using the large spiracles that they have in each of their eyes.
Habitat and area of distribution
We can find the sawfish in the tropics and subtropics. Are found in the areas of Australia, Africa, Ecuador, Portugal and in some areas of the Caribbean. Tourists can see it as they occupy shallow waters.
It is capable of living in both fresh and salty water. They are mostly placed in the mouths of rivers where the contrast of fresh and salt water does not stress the metabolism. Thanks to the temperament of these fish they are able to function in different aquatic environments. They can live in places that provide them with food and tranquility to rest during the day.
They can be found in some estuaries and bays where they live with hardly any complications. It has been established along the Gulf of Mexico to the south through the Atlantic and Pacific. In some areas it is used as an alternative medicine in some respiratory diseases.
Since most of his time is spent in muddy and sandy places, he takes advantage of it to dig and entertain himself. For this he uses his saw and on many occasions he ends up finding prey with which to feed. It is curious that he can be seen doing this action just to distract himself while night falls.
The easiest prey it has are tropical fish, since they do not have a good defense system. The distribution of this fish is centered in areas where it previously remained in large numbers. They could be found in the waters of the United States, specifically in those of New York, Florida and Texas.
Sawfish feeding
Their diet is based on larger invertebrates and mollusks. In addition, it also feeds on other living elements found in the depths of the waters. Even when they share the same habitat and the sawfish has the ability to eat it, it has never been seen that it has eaten a stone fish.
When you want to catch this fish, it doesn't have any complications. But nevertheless, It is not consumed like other types de peces. Currently there are some trades and exports of sawfish that are thriving.
In general, the consumption of this fish becomes salty and it is almost always caught with shrimp fishing. Large quantities are not available since it is not the main object of fishing. It contains large amounts of mercury, so it is not recommended to consume in large proportions. This is the reason why it has not become very famous in the gastronomy of the countries.
Reproduction
Not much is known about the reproduction of sawfish. What is known is that they are ovoviviparous, so their egg reproduction develops within the female until the moment of hatching. When they reach the age of approximately 10 years is when they reach full maturity. If they are not caught by their predators or humans, it usually has a life expectancy of 30 years.
To reach sexual maturity they have to be about four meters long and 10 years old. Its reproduction is not very numerous, which makes it really vulnerable to overfishing. The reproduction rate of this sawfish is quite low and can be compared with the sailfish or marlin who also has a fairly slow reproductive system
Reproduction takes place in the months of April to the end of June.
With this information you can learn more about the sawfish. Did you like it? Let us know in the comments 🙂