| Cartilaginous Fishes | Rays |
Freshwater Sawfish
Pristis microdon
| Conservation Status: Endangered
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- © Aquarium of the Pacific
- Our sawfish in the Aquarium's Shark Lagoon habitat
Pristis microdonis one of eight species of sawfish in the genus Pristis. It has two common names, the freshwater sawfish and the largetooth sawfish. The latter common name is also used for three other species in the genus. Freshwater sawfish are rays, and are related to stingrays, skates, sharks, and other fishes with cartilaginous skeletons.
Facts and Features
- Geographic Distribution
East Africa to Indonesia, India, the Philippines, New Guinea, and Australia.
- Amazing Facts
Sawfish are often confused with sawsharks which have a similar snout. However, the sawfish is much larger and its gill slits are on the ventral (bottom) side of its body. The gill slits of the sawshark are on the side of its head.
- At the Aquarium
Shark Lagoon is the habitat for our sawfish. Dinner is fed to this ray attached to the end of a pole. Because the nurse sharks also like mullet and try to steal the sawfish’s dinner, they have to be distracted when the sawfish is being fed.