The body and head of a sawfish is flat as they spend most of their time lying on the sea floor.

(The scales of a sawfish have a similar structure to its teeth, confusing the distinction somewhat.)

The 'teeth' protruding from the rostrum are not real teeth, but modified denticle scales. Sawfishes have also been known to defend themselves with their rostrum, against predators (like sharks) and intruding divers. This generally stuns or injures the prey sufficiently for the sawfish to devour it without much resistance.

When a suitable prey swims by, the normally lethargic sawfish will spring from the bottom and slash at it furiously with its saw. It is also used as a digging tool to unearth buried crustaceans. The rostrum acts like a metal detector as the sawfish hovers over the bottom, looking for hidden food. The rostrum is covered with motion- and electro-sensitive pores that allow sawfish to detect movement and even heartbeats of buried prey in the ocean floor. The most eye-catching feature of the sawfish is their saw-like snout, called a rostrum. They are not to be confused with sawsharks (order Pristiophoriformes), which have a similar physical appearance.Īll species of sawfish are considered critically endangered and international trade is banned. They are members of the sole family Pristidae within the order Pristiformes, from the Greek pristēs meaning 'a sawyer' or 'a saw'. Their most striking appearance is a long, toothy snout. Sawfishes are a family of marine animals related to sharks and rays. For other uses, see Sawfish (disambiguation).

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