Credit: Peppermint Narwhal
October 17th is international sawfish day. The talented artist Peppermint Narwhal created this wonderful graphic. To celebrate, sharkophile will cover the five species of sawfish, with information from the sawfish conservation society.
Rostrum: a beaklike projection, especially a stiff snout or anterior prolongation of the head in an insect, crustacean, or cetacean. In the case of the sawfish, it is the saw-like appendage above its head.
1. Narrow Sawfish (Anoxyprists cuspidata)
• Occurs in the West Indo-Pacific.
• Only sawfish species with a well-defined caudal (tail) fin.
• Contains 17-33 flat, unevenly spaced spade-shaped rostral teeth on each side of its saw.
• The only species that does not have rostral teeth near its head on its rostrum.
2. Smalltooth Sawfish (Prisits pectinata)
• Occurs in the Atlantic Ocean.
• No obvious lower lobe on its caudal (tail) fin.
• Has 20-32, peg-like, and unevenly spaced rostral teeth on each side of its saw.
• The last stronghold known for this species is in southern Florida, USA.
3. Dwarf Sawfish (Pristis clavata)
• Occurs throughout the west Indo-Pacific, but most commonly in northern Australia.
• No obvious lower lobe on its tail fin.
• Has 18-27, peg-like, and evenly spaced rostral teeth on each side of its saw.
• One of the two smaller species of sawfish, the dwarf sawfish still grows over 10 feet in length.
4.Largetooth aka Freshwater Sawfish (Pristis pristis)
• Only circumtropical sawfish (occurs in tropical and subtropical waters).
• Only sawfish species that has its first dorsal fin in front of its pelvic fins. Also has a small lower lobe on its tail fin.
• Has 14-24, peg-like, and evenly spaced rostral teeth on each side of its saw.
• Only sawfish species that live in freshwater rivers or lakes for years as a juvenile, and moves out to the ocean as it matures.
5. Green Sawfish (Pristis zijsron)
• Occurs in the west Indo-Pacific.
• No obvious lower lobe on its caudal fin.
• Has 23-27, peg-like, and unevenly spaced rostral teeth on each side of its saw.
• One of the largest sawfish, growing up to 23 feet!
Follow @sawfishconservationsociety on Instagram!