Pristiformes
| Sawfish Temporal range: Eocene–Recent |
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|---|---|
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| Longcomb sawfish, Pristis zijsron | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Superorder: | Batoidea |
| Order: | Rhinopristiformes |
| Family: |
Pristidae Bonaparte, 1838 |
| Genera | |
|
Anoxypristis White & Moy-Thomas, 1941 |
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Anoxypristis White & Moy-Thomas, 1941
Pristis Linck, 1790
Sawfishes, also known as carpenter sharks, are a family of rays characterized by a long, narrow, flattened rostrum, or nose extension, lined with sharp transverse teeth, arranged so as to resemble a saw. Several species of sawfishes can grow to about 7 m (23 ft). The family as a whole is largely unknown and little studied. The Pristidae are the only living family within the order Pristiformes, whose name comes from the Ancient Greek: πρίστης prístēs "saw, sawyer".
Sawfishes should not be confused with sawsharks (order Pristiophoriformes), or the extinct sclerorhynchids (order Sclerorhynchiformes) which have a similar appearance.
All species of sawfishes are listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered by the IUCN, and face the threat of extinction as a result of habitat loss and overfishing. Global populations of every species of sawfishes are estimated to have fallen to less than 10% of their historic levels, and they have been lost from at least 80% of their historic range. The smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata), for example, was once widely distributed, but available data indicate the range of this species has been reduced by about 90%, and population numbers have declined dramatically, perhaps by 95% or more. International commerce of sawfishes has been banned globally since 2007, with the only exception being for the provision of live Pristis microdon to appropriate public aquaria for primarily conservation purposes.
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Wikipedia