sawsharks

Sawsharks are a family of cartilaginous fish belonging to the order Pristiophoriformes. They are characterized by their long, flattened snout, which is lined with sharp, tooth-like projections called denticles. This distinctive feature gives them their common name. Unlike their close relatives, the sawfish, sawsharks have barbels located on the underside of their snout, which they use to detect prey in the seabed.

There are currently only a few recognized species of sawsharks, all belonging to the genus Pristiophorus. They are found in the temperate and tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Sawsharks are typically small to medium-sized sharks, with most species reaching lengths of less than a meter. They are bottom-dwelling fish and inhabit sandy or muddy substrates in coastal areas and on continental shelves.

Their diet consists mainly of small fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods that they locate using their sensory barbels and then stun or disorient with their saw-like snout. Sawsharks are ovoviviparous, meaning that the eggs hatch inside the mother and the young are born live. They are not considered dangerous to humans, and their populations are not well-studied, though some species may be vulnerable due to habitat degradation and bycatch in fisheries.