Though it’s distinguishing snout can be used as a weapon, it also serves as a sensory organ to detect its food along the sandy bottom of the ocean.
Unlike most other sharks, the Longnose Sawshark’s extended skinny snout is lined with sharp teeth that it uses in side to side thrashing motions to stun or wound its prey. Halfway along the snout are two barbels that can detect fish as the shark lies in the sand or gravel floor.
Often mistaken for the Sawfish, the Longnose Sawshark has several different features that can identify it from the other species.
Like all sharks, the Sawshark’s gills are located on the side of its body and the pectoral fins are separate from the head. The larger Sawfish is actually in the ray family, with gills located on the bottom of its body and the side pectorals fused to the animals head – often thought of as “wings.”
One variety of Sawshark can be found in the Atlantic waters of the Bahamas but the most common and biggest populations are found in the waters of Japan and Australia.
The Longnose Sawshark typically grows to just over 4 feet in length.
Art By Breah 