Sawshark Introduction

Sawsharks get their name from their long, saw-like snouts. To eat their prey, the sharks slash their snouts back and forth, slicing through fish with their sharp, protruding teeth. Sawsharks are not the same thing as a sawfish, which is a type of ray that has a similar snout.

There are eight species of sawsharks—longnose or common sawshark, shortnose, sawshark, Bahamas sawshark, Japanese sawshark, sixgill sawshark, African dwarf sawshark, Lana’s sawshark, and the tropical sawshark.

Sawsharks live in many warm oceans around the world, including the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They eat fish, crustaceans, and squid. These sharks swim along the ocean floor in search of marine animals hiding in the mud. Special organs on their saws called Ampullae of Lorenzini help them detect the electromagnetic fields of their prey.
Sawsharks are not endangered and have little contact with humans because they usually swim deep under the ocean’s surface.