Sawfish

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Sawfish

• By Jack

http//www.elasmodiver.com
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• Do you think a sawfish is a fish or a shark? Read
  this report and find out.

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Physical characteristics

• Sawfishes have a really flattened body with a
  prominet long snout . Often referred to toothy
  snout. Sometimes called sharks with swords.
  Its shark-like tail propels that sails through
  water. Flatttened body head which indicates
  bottom-they dwelling fish.Pointy sharp awl-like
  teeth though sawfishes dont have real teeth.But
  they have modified scales. But the jaws are lined
  up with pavement of thousands of small circle
  shaped teeth.Sawfishes Skelton's which are made
  out of cartilage because their species is
  elasmobranchs.

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Habitat

• Sawfishes are slow,and docile to rest over muddy
  bottoms with shallow water by river mouths and
  freshwater. The water they live in is brown and
  muddy and messy. So they cannot see good so they
  rely on their sensitive snouts. They inhabit
  shallow low coastal waters,tropical seas and
  estuaries worldwide.Often located by sheltered
  bays ,shallow bays and river mouths. Some species
  of sawfish known to big river systems. And are
  also few elasombranchs are known for freshwater
  places of many places of the world.

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Feeding

• Sawfishes eat on small fishes/invertebrates that
  can be digested whole through their tiny
  mouths.They only feed on prey that can fit into
  the small mouths.Sawfishes are unable to tear off
  chunks with their toothy saw .But they also can
  eat catfish.

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History

• Sawfish emerge around 100 MILLION YEARS. They are
  endangered due now to massive accidental capture
  in nets probe through cement. Because of their
  toothy saw it prevents them from escaping from
  net when entangled.Sawfishes are used for lots of
  different reasons such as medicine.Sawfishes
  evolved from an extinct species of sharks.
  Several species of sawfish are emibiting wide
  array on body modifications, once swam primitive
  worldwide.From these interesting and cool sawfish
  families arose modern day family pristdue. Lots
  of families in the family pritidue since died out
  and now presented only in fossil record,from as
  far back as the eocent period, 56 MILLION YEARS
  AGO!

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Fun Facts

• Sawfishes can live up to 25-30 years of age.You
  can tell a male sawfish from a female because
  male sawfish have paired organs called claspers.
  They are modifications on their pelvic fins and
  located on innermargin of pelvic fins.Females
  dont have claspers.Sawfish dont have bones.
  Sawfish and other belonging to their species lack
  real bone. But have cartilage skeletons.
  Sawfishes are edible but lots of people dont eat
  them.Sawfishes dont threaten people if left
  alone. Humans are too big for a sawfish to be
  prey. You must be careful when approaching a
  sawfish any size,cause they might defend their
  selves when they are threatened.

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• I hope you enjoyed this slide show. So,as you
  can see a sawfish is a shark. I learned with
  this slide show that sawfish really looks like a
  saw and that they are harmless. Bye.

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Sources

• http//australian-animals.net/
• http//www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/education/questions/
  sawfishbiology.html
• http//www.oceanconservancy.org/site/PageServer?pa
  genamefw_sawfish