Find Your Fish

Smalltooth Sawfish

The Smalltooth Sawfish or Pristis pectinata is one strange fish!  It has a long, flat, chainsaw-like snout that is called a rostrum with 24 to 32 pairs of teeth along the edges which it uses for sifting through the bottom for food. This salt water fish's rostrum has special pores that allows it to detect small movements on the ocean floor much like the Great Hammerhead Shark. Once the Smalltooth Sawfish discovers its prey, it will attack by whipping the rostrum back and forth to stunt or kill. They also use their rostrum as a weapon to defend itself against predators like sharks. This type of fish can grow up to 25' and is normally found in saltwater, but can sometimes tolerate fresh water as well.  Smalltooth sawfish can be found in shallow waters in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and Gulf of Mexico. This endangered fish can live for up to 30 years, but is often killed by mistake in fisherman's nets. The Smalltooth Sawfish is ovoviviparous, which means that the female holds the eggs inside her until they are ready to be born. They usually have a litter of 15 or more at a time. To see this amazing creature in action take a look at the video below...








No comments:

Aquarium Fish Of The Month - Spotted Cardinalfish


Still Can't Find The Fish You Are Looking For? Search For It Below Or Send Us An E-Mail!

Fish Index Followers