Facts about Sawfish

1. 06

   Sawfish use their saw-like rostrum to dig through seafloor sediment and slash at schools of fish, making them active hunters rather than passive bottom feeders.

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2. 05

   Sawfish embryos develop inside the mother's body and are born live, with females typically giving birth to 4 to 7 pups per pregnancy after a gestation period of approximately 12 months.

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3. 04

   During the 1990s, sawfish were still commonly caught in Australian waters, but today fewer than 50 individuals are estimated to survive in that region.

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4. 03

   Electroreceptive organs called ampullae of Lorenzini line a sawfish's saw, allowing it to detect electrical fields generated by prey organisms as weak as 5 nanovolts per centimeter.

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5. 02

   Sawfish populations have declined by over 95 percent since the 1970s due to habitat loss and fishing net entanglement, making them critically endangered across most ocean regions.

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6. 01

   The rostral saw of a sawfish can grow up to 6 feet long and contains approximately 25 to 29 tooth-like structures on each side.

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