WATERY WEDNESDAY # 20

WATERY WEDNESDAY# 20

Happy Watery Wednesday! We have a very special and strange looking member of the shark and ray family for you today! These beautiful fish have a very special built-in tool on the front of their face! Do you have your goggles and wetsuit? Let’s dive in!

MEET THE SMALLTOOTH SAWFISH!

Range/Habitat: Eastern Atlantic Ocean (subtropical-tropical)/shallows, near coastline

Diet: Carnivore: fish, mollusks

Length/Weight: up to 20ft/550-660 lbs

Conservation Status: Critically endangered

Fun Facts:

• Smalltooth Sawfish have a saw-like snout with 24-32 pairs of pointed “teeth”.
• Smalltooth sawfish have long flat bodies.
• They use their saw-like snout to dig prey out of the sand and to slash through schools of fish. They then eat the injured fish!
• Their gills and mouth are on the bottom of their bodies.
• Smalltooth sawfish have spiracles on top of their bodies. These help move water over their gills while they rest on the bottom of the ocean floor.
• Smalltooth sawfish skeletons are made of cartilage (the same tissue that makes up human ears and noses). They are related to sharks and rays!

We think Smalltooth sawfish is a very special and odd looking fish! These neat fish are endangered. The Ocean Conservancy is working very hard to make sure they will be around for a long time! Our oceans wouldn’t be the same without these great fish!