Common Sawfish

Pristis pristis

The common sawfish (Pristis pristis), more widely called the largetooth sawfish or freshwater sawfish, is a large ray with a long flattened rostrum edged by tooth-like denticles. It once occurred through parts of the tropical Atlantic and Indo-Pacific in coastal waters, estuaries, and rivers, with young often using shallow mangroves and river mouths as nurseries. Despite its shark-like outline, the gill slits are on the underside like other rays. The saw is a sensory and feeding organ, used to detect prey and swipe at schooling fish or bottom animals.

This species is critically endangered, so human contact centers on protection, field research, aquarium conservation programs, and safe handling when animals are accidentally caught. The rostrum tangles easily in nets and lines, and cutting it off can be fatal; trained release protocols aim to free the animal quickly while keeping it in water. Public aquariums that hold sawfish need enormous saltwater or brackish systems, smooth-sided spaces, and careful veterinary oversight. Conservation work includes bycatch reduction, nursery-habitat protection, tagging, genetic sampling, and enforcement against trade in rostra and fins.