Sawshark
Sharks with a saw-like snout used to slash prey.
Last updated
Illustrated Catalogue of the Fishes of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia : G. Hassell & Son, 1921 · via Wikipedia: Sawshark · Public domain
Sawsharks are a group of sharks with a long, saw-like snout edged with sharp teeth used to disable prey.[1] There are ten known species in two genera, Pristiophorus and Pliotrema.[1] The family Pristiophoridae is classified in the order Pristiophoriformes and is exclusively marine.[2]
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassChondrichthyes
- SubclassElasmobranchii
- DivisionSelachii
- OrderPristiophoriformes
- FamilyPristiophoridae
Named by Bleeker, 1859
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Sawshark (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Biology and range
They have two dorsal fins and lack an anal fin, and species of Pliotrema have six gill slits while Pristiophorus have five.[3] Litters range from 3 to 22 pups every two years, born at about 30 cm after a 12-month gestation.[4] A pair of elongated barbels are located roughly midway along the rostrum of sawsharks.[3] The saw's dentition is characterized by a pattern where large and small teeth are arranged alternately.[5]
Female sawsharks are somewhat larger than males, and the species can attain a maximum length of 5 feet and a weight of 18.7 pounds.[5] The longnose sawshark's body is yellow-brown, sometimes marked with dark spots, and is covered in tiny placoid scales.[6] Depending on the species, their diet consists of small fish, squid, and crustaceans.[7]
What the specialist sources record
The Animal Diversity Web account states that longnose sawsharks breed seasonally in coastal areas and have a gestation period of about 12 months.[8] The same source notes that longnose sawsharks use their barbels and snout to detect prey on the ocean floor and immobilize it with a side-swipe.[8]
References
- Wikipedia, "Sawshark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sawshark entry on Fishbase" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- World Register of Marine Species, Pristiophoridae (AphiaID 148804). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
- Wikipedia, "Sawshark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Pliotrema warreni summary page", FishBase (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sawshark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Burke, "Struggling with age: Common sawsharks (Pristiophorus cirratus) defy age determination using a range of traditional methods", Fisheries Research, November 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sawshark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Saw Shark Facts", softschools.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sawshark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Why Shark Skin Is So Rough", ThoughtCo (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sawshark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Nevatte, "Morphometry and microanatomy of the barbels of the common sawshark Pristiophorus cirratus (Pristiophoridae): implications for pristiophorid behaviour: microanatomy of pristiophorus cirratus barbels", Journal of (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Pristiophorus cirratus (Common sawshark)", Animal Diversity Web. facts only, no text reused. animaldiversity.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Sawshark (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Sawshark (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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