Where do sawfishes live?
Sawfish
The pregnancy lasts several months. There are 1–23 young in each sawfish litter, which are long at birth. In the embryos the rostrum is flexible and it only hardens shortly before birth. To protect the mother the saws of the young have a soft cover, which falls off shortly after birth. The pupping grounds are in coastal and estuarine waters. In most species the young generally stay there for the first part of their lives, occasionally moving upriver when there is an increase in salinity. The exception is the largetooth sawfish where the young move upriver into freshwater where they stay for 3–5 years, sometimes as much as from the sea. In at least the smalltooth sawfish the young show a degree of site fidelity, generally staying in the same fairly small area in the first part of their lives. In the green and dwarf sawfish there are indications that both sexes remain in the same overall region throughout their lives with little mixing between the subpopulations. In the largetooth sawfish the males appear to move more freely between the subpopulations, while mothers return to the region where they were born to give birth to their own young.
Sailfin flyingfish
The sailfin flyingfish ("Parexocoetus brachypterus") is a member of the flying fish family. Like other members its family, "P. brachypterus" is known for its ability to leap out of the water and glide above its surface. Its distribution range encompasses the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. It is an epipelagic fish and can be found in coastal waters but is rarely encountered in open oceans. They are known to spawn during September to April in the waters near Barbados and Puerto Rico. Appearance wise, the sailfin flyingfish is known to have a robust build, blunt snout, short pectoral fins and having a long dorsal fin.
Pristis
Pristis is a genus of sawfish of the family Pristidae. These large fish are found worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions in coastal marine waters, estuaries, and freshwater lakes and rivers. Sawfish have declined drastically and all species are considered seriously threatened today.
Sawshark
A sawshark or saw shark is a member of a shark order (Pristiophoriformes) bearing a unique long, saw-like rostrum (snout or bill) edged with sharp teeth, which they use to slash and disable their prey. There are eight species within the Pristiophoriformes, including the longnose or common sawshark ("Pristiophorus cirratus"), shortnose sawshark ("Pristiophorus nudipinnis"), Japanese sawshark ("Pristiophorus japonicas"), Bahamas sawshark ("Pristiophorus schroederi"), sixgill sawshark ("Pliotrema warreni"), African dwarf sawshark ("Pristophorus nancyae"), Lana's sawshark ("Pristiophorus lanae") and the tropical sawshark ("Pristiophorus delicatus").
Sailfin roughshark
Since this species lives in the depths where deepwater fisheries operate, they can have a negative impact on the already uncommon species by being the bycatch of these offshore fisheries. Although their population is unknown, most of its population is in the deeper offshore waters and very few are in the inshore waters.
Sawshark
Saw sharks have a relatively slow life history. Mating season occurs seasonally in coastal areas. Saw sharks are ovoviviparous meaning eggs hatch inside of the mother. They have litters of 3–22 pups every 2 years. After 12 months of pregnancy, the pups are born at 30 cm long. While in the mother, pups' teeth are inverted into their mouth to prevent harm. The sharks care for their young until they are sexually mature at 2 years of age and at which point can fend for themselves. Saw sharks typically live more than 15 years in the wild They can be found living in solitary or in schools.
Sand lizardfish
The sand lizardfish, clearfin lizardfish or variegated lizardfish ("Synodus dermatogenys") is a species of lizardfish that lives mainly in the Indo-Pacific.
Smalltooth sawfish
Small numbers are maintained in public aquariums in North America with studbooks listing 12 individuals (5 males, 7 females) in 2014. The only kept elsewhere are at a public aquarium in Colombia. It is the only species of sawfish that has been bred in captivity.
Shortnose sawshark
The shortnose sawshark or southern sawshark "Pristiophorus nudipinnis", is a sawshark of the family Pristiophoridae. The body of this shark is slightly compressed, and its rostrum is narrow. The two dorsal fins are almost identical in size. In color, the dorsal side of this sawshark tends to be uniformly slate gray, with few or no markings. The ventral side is pale white or cream. Females reach around long, and males reach around long. These sharks can live to be up to 9 years old.
Sawfish
Although fishing is the main cause of the drastic decline in sawfish, another serious problem is habitat destruction. Coastal and estuarine habitats, including mangrove and seagrass meadows, are often degraded by human developments and pollution, and these are important habitats for sawfish, especially their young. In a study of juvenile sawfish in Western Australia's Fitzroy River about 60% had bite marks from bull sharks or crocodiles. Changes to river flows, such as by dams, can increase the risk faced by sawfish young by bringing them into more contact with predators.
Longcomb sawfish
The longcomb sawfish has declined drastically and is listed by the IUCN as "Critically Endangered" in its Red List of Threatened Species. The fins (for shark fin soup) and saw (as novelty items) are highly valuable, while some parts are used in Asian traditional medicine and the meat is eaten. Fishing is the main threat, but it is also threatened by habitat loss. Because of the potential threat they (or rather their "saw") represent to humans, they are sometimes killed before being brought onto the boat when accidentally caught. Because of the "saw", all sawfish are particularly prone to becoming entangled in fishing nets.
Frogfish
A few exceptions to these general limits are known. The brackishwater frogfish is at home in ocean waters as well as brackish and fresh water around river mouths. The sargassum fish lives in clumps of drifting sargassum, which often floats into the deeper ocean and has been known to take the sargassum fish as far north as Norway.
Squalomorphii
The order Pristiophoriformes is a small order of unique sharks called sawsharks. Sawsharks have a long snout covered in teeth, between 5-6 gill slits, and no anal fin. They also have a pair of barbels usually located halfway down the snout. Sawsharks are frequently confused with sawfish, which are members of the ray order Pristiformes. Sawsharks can be discerned from sawfish thanks to their lateral gill slits, which differ from the sawfish's ventral gill slits. These sharks can mostly be found in deep benthic environments. Fossils of members of this order have been found since the late Jurassic period.
Smalltooth sawfish
Sawfish uncover sand dwelling crustaceans and mollusks, two common prey types, by using their unique anatomical structure as a tool for digging and grubbing about in sand or mud. The sawfish churn up the sea bottom with their exaggerated rostrum to uncover these hidden food sources.
Largetooth sawfish
As suggested by the alternative name common sawfish, it was once plentiful, but has now declined drastically leading to it being considered a critically endangered species by the IUCN. The main threat is overfishing, but it also suffers from habitat loss. Both their fins (used in shark fin soup) and "saw" (as novelty items) are highly valuable, and the meat is used as food. Because of the "saw" they are particularly prone to becoming entangled in fishing nets. Historically sawfish were also persecuted for the oil in their liver.
Largetooth sawfish
The largetooth sawfish is a predator that feeds on fish, molluscs and crustaceans. The "saw" can be used both to stir up the bottom to find prey and to slash at groups of fish. Sawfish are docile and harmless to humans, except when captured where they can inflict serious injuries when defending themselves with the "saw".
Sawfish
Historically they ranged in the East Atlantic from Morocco to South Africa, and in the West Atlantic from New York (United States) to Uruguay, including the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. There are old reports (last in the late 1950s or shortly after) from the Mediterranean and these have typically been regarded as vagrants, but a review of records strongly suggests that this sea had a breeding population. In the East Pacific they ranged from Mazatlán (Mexico) to northern Peru. Although the Gulf of California occasionally has been included in their range, the only known Pacific Mexican records of sawfish are from south of its mouth. They were widespread in the western and central Indo-Pacific, ranging from South Africa to the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, east and north to Korea and southern Japan, through Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea and Australia. Today sawfish have disappeared from much of their historical range.
Shortfin lizardfish
The shortfin lizardfish "(Saurida micropectoralis)" is a species of lizardfish that lives mainly off the coast of Japan.
Largetooth sawfish
The largetooth sawfish is easily recognized by the forward position of the dorsal fin with its leading edge placed clearly in front of the leading edge of the pelvic fins (when the sawfish is seen from above or the side), the relatively long pectoral fins with angular tips, and the presence of a small lower tail lobe. In all other sawfish species the leading edge of their dorsal fin is placed at, or behind, the leading edge of the pelvic fins, and all other "Pristis" sawfish species have shorter pectoral fins with less pointed tips and lack a distinct lower tail lobe (very small or none). The rostrum ("saw") of the largetooth sawfish has a width that is 15–25% of its length, which is relatively wide compared to the other sawfish species, and there are 14–24 equally separated teeth on each side of it. On average, females have shorter rostrums with fewer teeth than males. The proportional rostrum length also varies with age, with average being around 27% of the total length of the fish, but can be as high as 30% in juveniles and as low as 20–22% in adults.
Sawfish
Sawfish have been known and hunted for thousands of years, and play an important mythological and spiritual role in many societies around world.
Sawfish
The only remaining stronghold of the four species in the Indo-Pacific region (narrow, dwarf, largetooth and green sawfish) is in Northern Australia, but they have also experienced a declined there. "Pristis" sawfish are protected in Australia and only Indigenous Australians can legally catch them. Violations can result in a fine of up to AU$121,900. The narrow sawfish does not receive the same level of protection as the "Pristis" sawfish. Under CITES regulations, Australia was the only country that could export wild-caught sawfish for the aquarium trade from 2007 to 2013 (no country afterwards). This strictly involved the largetooth sawfish where the Australian population remains relatively robust, and only living individuals "to appropriate and acceptable aquaria for primarily conservation purposes". Numbers traded were very low (eight between 2007 and 2011), and following a review Australia did not export any after 2011. Except for Australia, sawfish have been extirpated or only survive in very low numbers in the Indo-Pacific region. For example, among the four species only two (narrow and largetooth sawfish) certainly survive in South Asia, and only two (narrow and green sawfish) certainly survive in Southeast Asia.
Sawfin
It is also listed as Endangered by the Nature Conservation Ordinance of Western Cape Province. For the time being, it may not be killed or caught. Considerable populations are found in the Cederberg Wilderness Area, Matjies River Nature Reserve and Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve. In 2004, the Greater Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor was established by CapeNature and private landowners to better preserve and develop high-quality habitat. This project aims at restoring the river ecosystems for sustainable development. The sawfin has been bred in captivity at the Clanwilliam Yellowfish Conservation Station, but captive breeding success is not sufficient and improved techniques are needed.
Arctoscopus japonicus
Arctoscopus japonicus, the sailfin sandfish or Japanese sandfish, is a species of fish of the Percomorpha (perch-like) clade in the order Trachiniformes, being one of the two genera in the family Trichodontidae, the sandfishes. Known in Japan as , it is a commercially important fish especially for Akita and Yamagata prefectures. Its habitat occurs in sandy-mud bottoms ranging from the Sea of Japan to the Okhotsk Sea.
Sixgill sawshark
The sixgill sawshark is found in the temperate and subtropical waters of the western Indian Ocean between latitudes 23° S and 37° S, at depths of between 37 and 500 m. This shark lives in the benthic and benthopelagic zones of the continental shelf. Adults are partially segregated from juveniles, as they naturally tend to aggregate at lower depths.
Amblyopsidae
The Amblyopsidae are a fish family commonly referred to as cavefish, blindfish, or swampfish. They are small freshwater fish found in the dark environments of caves (underground lakes, pools, rivers and streams), springs and swamps in the eastern half of the United States. Like other troglobites, most amblyopsids exhibit adaptations to these dark environments, including the lack of functional eyes and the absence of pigmentation. More than 200 species of cavefishes are known, but only six of these are in the family Amblyopsidae. One of these, "Forbesichthys agassizii", spends time both underground and aboveground. A seventh species in this family, "Chologaster cornuta", is not a cave-dweller but lives in aboveground swamps.
Sawshark
The longnose sawshark aka the common sawshark ("Pristiophorus cirratus") is one of 9 species within the family Pristiophoridae. It has unique physical characteristics which include a long, thin, and flattened snout. Midway down the snout, nasal barbels protrude on both sides of the snout. Near the barbels, the longnose sawshark possesses a pair of ampullae of Lorenzini. It is unique among the sawshark family by having a longer snout than any of its counter species. The longnose sawshark is not very large with lengths ranging from around 14 inches at birth to 38 inches in males and 44 inches in females. They can also grow to a weight of 18.7 pounds. They are known to swim in the waters off the southern coast of Australia’s continental shelf. They can also be found in the eastern portion of the Indian Ocean. The longnose sawshark prefers to swim in both the open sea and coastal regions at a depth range of about 120–480 feet. The longnose Sawshark is known to prey on small teleost fish, crustaceans, and small squids. It uses its barbels to detect prey on the ocean floor which it then hits with its snout to immobilize it. Like the other members of the Pristiophorus family, the common sawshark can be identified by a long snout with rows of small teeth and barbels on either side. It has five gill slits on either side of its head and between 19 and 25 teeth on each side.
Sawfin
The sawfin ("Pseudobarbus serra"), also known as Clanwilliam sawfin, is a ray-finned fish species in the family Cyprinidae. It is placed with the South African redfins in "Pseudobarbus". It is tetraploid. Its closest living relative is probably the Cape whitefish ("P. capensis").
Porthole catfish
The porthole catfish or slender catfish, "Dianema longibarbis", is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the Callichthyinae sub-family of the Callichthyidae family. It originates in inland waters in South America, and is found in the Amazon River basin in Brazil and Peru.
Spring cavefish
The spring cavefish ("Forbesichthys agassizii") is the only member of the genus Forbesichthys and is one of seven species in the family Amblyopsidae. This species is listed as state endangered in Missouri, but it is considered to be of least concern by the IUCN Red List due to its relatively large population size and number of subpopulations. The spring cavefish inhabits caves, springs, spring runs, and spring seeps. It is subterranean, emerging at dusk and retreating underground an hour or two before dawn. The species is located within areas of the central and southeastern United States. It stays underground after dawn, but then emerges into surface waters at dusk. They are a carnivorous fish and are well adapted to their environment. The species' breeding behavior is rarely documented. Spawning occurs underground and in darkness between January and April. The status and distribution of cave-obligate species is incomplete or lacking entirely, which makes conservation and management decisions difficult. Kentucky and Missouri are the two main states that have their agencies managing this species in some way.
Largetooth sawfish
The largetooth sawfish has been extirpated from many regions where formerly present. Among the 75 countries where recorded historically, it has disappeared from 28 and may have disappeared from another 27, leaving only 20 countries where certainly still present. In terms of area this means that it certainly survives in only 39% of its historical range. Only Australia still has a relatively healthy population of the species and this may be the last remaining population in the entire Indo-Pacific that is of sufficient size to be viable, but even it has experienced a decline. Other places in the Indo-Pacific where still present, even if in very low numbers, are off Eastern Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Papua New Guinea, and in the East Pacific it survives off Central America, Colombia and northern Peru. Whether it survives anywhere in Southeast Asia is generally unclear, but one was captured in the Philippines in 2014 (a country where otherwise considered extirpated). The species has disappeared from much of its Atlantic range and declined where still present. The likely largest remaining population in this region is in the Amazon estuary, but another important population is in the San Juan River system in Central America. It was once abundant in Lake Nicaragua (part of the San Juan River system), but this population rapidly crashed during the 1970s when tens of thousands were caught. It has been protected in Nicaragua since the early 1980s, but remains rare in the lake today, and is now threatened by the planned Nicaragua Canal. In West Africa, the Bissagos Archipelago has often been considered the last remaining stronghold, but interviews with locals indicate that sawfish now also are rare there.
Sawfish
Sawfish have two relatively high and distinct dorsal fins, wing-like pectoral and pelvic fins, and a tail with a distinct upper lobe and a variably sized lower lobe (lower lobe relatively large in "Anoxypristis"; small to absent in "Pristis" sawfish). The position of the first dorsal fin compared to the pelvic fins varies and is a useful feature for separating some of the species. There are no anal fins.
Knifetooth sawfish
The knifetooth sawfish ("Anoxypristis cuspidata"), also known as the pointed sawfish or narrow sawfish, is a species of sawfish in the family Pristidae, part of the Batoidea, a superorder of cartilaginous fish that includes the rays and skates. Sawfish display a circumglobal distribution in warm marine and freshwater habitats. Their extant biodiversity is limited to five species belonging to two genera (Pristis and Anoxypristis). The sawfishes are characterised by the long, narrow, flattened rostrum or extension on their snout. This is lined with sharp transverse teeth, arranged in a way that resembles the teeth of a saw. It is found in the shallow coastal waters and estuaries of the Indo-West Pacific, ranging from the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf to southern Japan, Papua New Guinea and northern Australia. It is the only living member of the genus Anoxypristis, but was previously included in the genus "Pristis". Compared to that genus, "Anoxypristis" has a narrower rostral saw with numerous teeth on the distal part and no teeth on the basal one-quarter (toothless section about one-sixth in juveniles). This endangered species reaches a length of up to .
Smalltooth sawfish
For many years, rarity of seeing a sawfish in the wild prevented scientists from collecting conclusive evidence about the use of their distinctive rostrum. This led them to falsely assume that the sawfish, like many other marine vertebrates with a "beak," or an elongated rostrum, follow the rule that the appendage is used to either sense prey or capture prey, but never both. There are no other highly studied marine animals with similar rostral characteristics that have shown that the rostrum is used for both of these feeding techniques. Recent studies have demonstrated, however, that the sawfish utilize their rostrum to both sense and manipulate prey.
Sawfish
Old stories often describe sawfish as highly dangerous to humans, sinking ships and cutting people in half, but today these are considered myths and not factual. Sawfish are actually docile and harmless to humans, except when captured where they can inflict serious injuries when defending themselves by thrashing the saw from side-to-side. The saw is also used in self-defense against predators such as sharks that potentially may eat sawfish. In captivity they have been seen using their saws during fights over hierarchy or food.
Hardwicke's pipefish
Hardwicke's pipefish or pallid seahorse ("Solegnathus hardwickii") is a species of fish in the family Syngnathidae. It is found in Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are open seas, shallow seas, subtidal aquatic beds, and coral reefs. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Sawtail grouper
The sawtail grouper ("Mycteroperca prionura") is a species of fish in the family Serranidae. It is endemic to Mexico. The sawtail grouper commonly lives on fields of large boulders with gorgonians and black corals.
Largetooth sawfish
The largetooth sawfish can be found worldwide in tropical and subtropical coastal regions, but it also enters freshwater and has been recorded in rivers as far as from the sea. Historically, its East Atlantic range was from Mauritania to Angola. There are old reports (last in the late 1950s or shortly after) from the Mediterranean and these have typically been regarded as vagrants, but a review of records strongly suggests that this sea had a breeding population. Its West Atlantic range was from Uruguay to the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Although there are claimed reports from several Gulf Coast states in the United States, a review indicates that only those from Texas are genuine. Other specimens, notably several claimed to be from Florida, were likely imported from other countries. Its East Pacific range was from Peru to Mazatlán in Mexico. Historically it was widespread in the Indo-Pacific, ranging from South Africa to the Horn of Africa, India, Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. Its total distribution covered almost , more than any other species of sawfish, but it has disappeared from much of its historical range.
Sawfish
Sawfish have been found among archaeological remains in several parts of the world, including the Persian Gulf region, the Pacific coast of Panama, coastal Brazil and elsewhere.
Synodontidae
Lizardfishes are benthic animals that live in shallow coastal waters; even the deepest-dwelling species of lizardfish live in waters no more than deep. Some species in the subfamily Harpadontinae live in brackish estuaries. They prefer sandy environments, and typically have body colours that help to camouflage them in such environments.
Largetooth sawfish
A range of English names have been used for the species, or populations now part of the species, including common sawfish (despite it being far from common today), wide sawfish, freshwater sawfish, river sawfish (less frequently, other sawfish species also occur in freshwater and rivers), Leichhardt's sawfish (after explorer and naturalist Ludwig Leichhardt) and northern sawfish.
Largetooth sawfish
All sawfish species were added to CITES Appendix I in 2007, thereby restricting international trade. As the first marine fish, there was an attempt of having it listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2003 by the United States National Marine Fisheries Service, but it was declined. However, it was listed as "P. perotteti" under the ESA in 2011. Following taxonomic changes, the ESA listing was updated to "P. pristis" in December 2014. Sawfish are protected in Australia and the United States where a number of conservation projects have been initiated, but the largetooth sawfish has probably already been extirpated from the latter country (last confirmed record in 1961 from Nueces, Texas). Additionally it receives a level of protection in Bangladesh, Brazil, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Senegal and South Africa, but illegal fishing continues, enforcement of fishing laws is often lacking and it has already disappeared from some of these countries.
Sablefish
The sablefish ("Anoplopoma fimbria") is one of two members of the fish family Anoplopomatidae and the only species in the genus Anoplopoma. In English, common names for it include sable (USA), butterfish (USA), black cod (USA, UK, Canada), blue cod (UK), bluefish (UK), candlefish (UK), coal cod (UK), coalfish (Canada), beshow, and skil(fish) (Canada), although many of these names also refer to other, unrelated, species. In the US, the FDA accepts only "sablefish" as the Acceptable Market Name; "black cod" is considered a vernacular (regional) name and should not be used as a Statement of Identity for this species. The sablefish is found in muddy sea beds in the North Pacific at depths of and is commercially important to Japan.
Tenthredopsis friesei
These sawflies are mainly present in Austria, Belgium, British Isles, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland.
Filefish
The filefish (Monacanthidae) are a diverse family of tropical to subtropical tetraodontiform marine fish, which are also known as foolfish, leatherjackets or shingles. They live in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Filefish are closely related to the triggerfish, pufferfish and trunkfish.
Dwarf sawfish
This sawfish feeds mainly on fish, but also eats molluscs and crustaceans. The rostrum has large numbers of pores adapted for electroreception and is probably also used to manipulate prey. Its sensory input helps the fish move about in the muddy waters in which it often lives. Although they are sometimes found in deep water, most movements take place while the tide is either rising or falling, and movements during each tidal cycle may be up to . At high tide the fish tend to forage and rest among the mangroves.
Short-tooth sawpalate
The Short-tooth sawpalate (Serrivomer lanceolatoides, also known commonly as the Black sawtoothed eel) is an eel in the family Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels). It was described by Johannes Schmidt in 1916, originally under the genus "Leptocephalus". It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the eastern central and western central Atlantic Ocean, including the Bahamas and Bermuda, as well as the Strait of Gibraltar, Cape Verde, Canada and the United States. It dwells at a depth range of . Males can reach a maximum total length of .
Longcomb sawfish
A combination of characters are necessary to distinguish it from the other sawfish species: the longcomb sawfish has teeth to near the base of the rostrum or "saw" (unlike the knifetooth sawfish, "Anoxypristis cuspidata"), 23–37 teeth on each side of the rostrum (18–24 in the dwarf sawfish, "P. clavata", 20–32 in smalltooth sawfish, "P. pectinata", and 14–24 in largetooth sawfish, "P. pristis"), the teeth towards the tip of the rostrum are clearly closer to each other than those at its base (unlike the dwarf, smalltooth and largetooth sawfish where either equally spaced or only marginally closer to each other towards the tip of the rostrum), a relatively narrow rostrum, width equalling 9–17% of its length (typically wider in dwarf and largetooth sawfish), a rostrum that is 23–33% of the total length of the fish (20–25% in dwarf sawfish), relatively short pectoral fins (unlike the knifetooth and largetooth sawfish), a leading edge of the dorsal fin that is located clearly behind the leading edge of the pelvic fins (in front of in largetooth sawfish and roughly above in smalltooth sawfish) and it has a very small or no lower tail lobe (present in knifetooth and largetooth sawfish). It can be further separated from the two most similar species, the dwarf and smalltooth sawfish, by the considerably smaller maximum size of the former species, and the less greenish colour (when alive/recently dead) and essentially Atlantic distribution of the latter species. The smalltooth and longcomb sawfish might historically have come into contact in South Africa, but sawfish appear to have been extirpated from this country.
Shark catfish
The shark catfishes form the family Pangasiidae. They are found in fresh and brackish waters across southern Asia, from Pakistan to Borneo. Among the 30-odd members of this family is the plant-eating, endangered Mekong giant catfish "Pangasianodon gigas", one of the largest known freshwater fish. Several species are the basis of productive aquaculture industries in Vietnam's Mekong Delta.
Crayfish
Crayfish, also known as crawfish, crawdads, crawlfish, crawldads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, mudbugs, or yabbies, are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters (to which they are related). Taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. They breathe through feather-like gills. Some species are found in brooks and streams where there is running fresh water, while others thrive in swamps, ditches, and paddy fields. Most crayfish cannot tolerate polluted water, although some species such as "Procambarus clarkii" are hardier. Crayfish feed on animals and plants, either living or decomposing, and detritus.
Largetooth sawfish
The largetooth sawfish ("Pristis pristis", syn. "P. microdon" and "P. perotteti") is a species of sawfish, family Pristidae. It is found worldwide in tropical and subtropical coastal regions, but also enters freshwater. It has declined drastically and is considered critically endangered.
Shark finning
Fins from the critically endangered sawfish (Pristidae) "are highly favored in Asian markets and are some of the most valuable shark fins". Sawfishes are now protected under the highest protection level of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Appendix I.
Sawshark
Among the different species of sawshark, all are listed on the IUCN Red List of 2017 as either data deficient or of least concern Saw sharks do not see much human interaction because of their deep habitats.
Flatfish
Flatfishes are found in oceans worldwide, ranging from the Arctic, through the tropics, to Antarctica. Most species are found in depths between 0 and , but a few have been recorded from depths in excess of . None have been confirmed from the abyssal or hadal zones. An observation of a flatfish from the Bathyscaphe Trieste at the bottom of the Mariana Trench at a depth of almost has been questioned by fish experts, and recent authorities do not recognize it as valid. Among the deepwater species, "Symphurus thermophilus" lives in congregating around "ponds" of sulphur at hydrothermal vents on the seafloor. No other flatfish is known from hydrothermal vents. Many species will enter brackish or fresh water, and a smaller number of soles (families Achiridae and Soleidae) and tonguefish (Cynoglossidae) are entirely restricted to fresh water.
Silverfish
Silverfish are a cosmopolitan species, found in Africa, the Americas, Australia, Eurasia, and other parts of the Pacific. They inhabit moist areas, requiring a relative humidity between 75% and 95%. In urban areas, they can be found in attics, basements, bathtubs, sinks, kitchens, old books, and showers.
Snailfish
In October 2008, a UK-Japan team discovered a shoal of "Pseudoliparis amblystomopsis" snailfish at a depth of approximately in the Japan Trench. These were, at the time, the deepest living fish ever recorded on film. The record was surpassed by a snailfish that was filmed at a depth of in December 2014 in the Mariana Trench, and extended in May 2017 when another was filmed at a depth of in the Mariana Trench. The species in these deepest records remain undescribed, but it has been referred to as the "ethereal snailfish". The deepest-living described species is "Pseudoliparis swirei", also of the Mariana Trench, which has been recorded to . In general, snailfish (notably genera "Notoliparis" and "Pseudoliparis") are the most common and dominant fish family in the hadal zone. There are indications that the larvae of at least some hadal snailfish species spend time in open water at relatively shallow depths, less than .
Blacktip sawtail catshark
The blacktip sawtail catshark ("Galeus sauteri") is a species of catshark, and part of the family Scyliorhinidae, found off the coasts of Taiwan and the Philippines. It is demersal in nature and occurs deeper than . Growing up to long, this slim-bodied species is characterized by its plain brownish dorsal coloration with dark tips on the dorsal and caudal fins, and a prominent crest of enlarged dermal denticles on the upper edge of the caudal fin. It is oviparous, with females producing encapsulated eggs two at a time year-round. The blacktip sawtail catshark is caught incidentally in bottom trawls and used for fishmeal in Taiwan. However, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) currently lacks enough information to assess its conservation status.
Sawfish
In the past it has been suggested that sawfish use their saw to dig/rake in the bottom for prey, but this was not observed during the study in 2012, or supported by later hydrodynamic studies. Large sawfish often have rostral teeth with tips that are notably worn.
Banded pygmy sunfish
The banded pygmy sunfish is a dwarf fish that can live in rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, and even swamps. This species is historically found only in the continental United States, with relatively little change in distribution. One exception to this is minor decreases in species distribution due to habitat loss. They have historically been residents of the Mississippi River drainage system and Gulf coastal plain region. Currently, they are found from the lower Roanoke River drainage in North Carolina to the southern to middle parts of the St. Johns River in Florida. Also, they are found west to the Brazos River drainage in Texas and north to lower Wabash River drainage in Indiana and Illinois. Being a member of Elassomatidae, this species of pygmy sunfishes is no different in habitat preferences. It prefers to live in slower to still water conditions with higher sedimentation content, hence the swamps and ponds. However, the human development of wetland habitat over the ages has caused a decrease in banded pygmy sunfish and other pygmy sunfish habitat. Though the banded pygmy sunfish can retreat to lakes, streams, and rivers when wetlands are being drained, they need the wetlands for breeding. Thus, the true reason for the disappearance of the banded pygmy sunfish from certain areas is not just a loss of any habitat, but the loss of its breeding habitat. When this happens, the population eventually dies off, leaving an area that can no longer support the species.
Sawfish
Sawfish are found worldwide in tropical and subtropical waters.
Sawfish
The scientific names of the sawfish family Pristidae and its type genus "Pristis" are derived from the .
Smalltooth sawfish
Unlike the largetooth sawfish ("P. pristis"), the only other sawfish in the Atlantic, the smalltooth sawfish has a leading edge of the dorsal fin that is placed roughly above the leading edge of the pelvic fins (when the sawfish is seen from above or the side), relatively short pectoral fins and lack of a distinct lower lobe to the tail (lower lobe very small or absent). It can be separated from the more similar dwarf sawfish ("P. clavata") and green sawfish ("P. zijsron") by the distribution (both are only found in the Indo-Pacific) and the dorsal fin (its leading edge is placed slightly or clearly behind the leading edge of the pelvic fins in the dwarf and green sawfish). The smalltooth sawfish has a relatively narrow rostrum ("saw") with 20–32 teeth on each side.
Typhlichthys subterraneus
This species is more commonly known as the Southern cavefish. This name is due to the southern states in which it is found, including Indiana, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. The subterranean waters where the cavefish is found is divided by the Mississippi River. The regions that it occupies include the Ozark plateau of central and southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas, the Cumberland and Interior low plateaus of northwest Alabama, northwest Georgia, central Tennessee and Kentucky, and southern Indiana. It has been observed that the species lives in solitary habitats and is mostly isolated.
Roughnose wedgefish
The roughnose wedgefish (Rhynchobatus cooki) is a species of fish in the Rhinidae family. It is found in Indonesia (off Java) and Singapore. Its natural habitats are open seas, shallow seas, coral reefs, estuarine waters, and coastal saline lagoons. It is threatened by habitat loss. Despite having been known for more than a decade, it remained undescribed until 2016. This is a relatively small species, reaching up to in length. Adults are greenish-brown above; young have white spots.
Sawfish
The extinct family Sclerorhynchidae resemble sawfish. They are known only from Cretaceous fossils, and usually reached lengths only of approximately . Some have suggested that sawfish and sclerorhynchids form a clade, the Pristiorajea, while others believe the groups are not particularly close, making the proposed clade polyphyletic.
Catfish
Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia, the wels catfish of Eurasia and the piraíba of South America, to detritivores (species that eat dead material on the bottom), and even to a tiny parasitic species commonly called the candiru, "Vandellia cirrhosa". There are armour-plated types and there are also naked types, neither having scales. Despite their name, not all catfish have prominent barbels. Members of the Siluriformes order are defined by features of the skull and swimbladder. Catfish are of considerable commercial importance; many of the larger species are farmed or fished for food. Many of the smaller species, particularly the genus "Corydoras", are important in the aquarium hobby. Many catfish are nocturnal, but others (many Auchenipteridae) are crepuscular or diurnal (most Loricariidae or Callichthyidae, for example).
Sawshark
Sawsharks are found in many areas around the world, most commonly in waters from the Indian Ocean to the southern Pacific Ocean. They are normally found at depths around 40–100 m, but can be found much lower in tropical regions. The Bahamas sawshark was discovered in deeper waters (640 m to 915 m) of the northwestern Caribbean.
Dwarf sawtail catshark
The dwarf sawtail catshark ("Galeus schultzi") is a little-known species of catshark, belonging to the family Scyliorhinidae, found exclusively in the deep waters off Luzon in the Philippines. Unlike other members of its genus, this slender, diminutive shark has a short, rounded snout and very short furrows at the corners of its jaws. It has indistinct darker saddles beneath each dorsal fin and two dark bands on the caudal fin, as well as a prominent crest of enlarged dermal denticles along the upper caudal fin margin. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not currently have sufficient information to assess the conservation status of this species.
Sawfish
Sawfish fishing goes back several thousand years, but until relatively recently it typically involved traditional low-intensity methods such as simple hook-and-line or spearing. In most regions the major population decline in sawfish started in the 1960s–1980s. This coincided with a major growth in demand of fins for shark fin soup, the expansion of the international shark finning fishing fleet, and a proliferation of modern nylon fishing nets. The exception is the dwarf sawfish which was relatively widespread in the Indo-Pacific, but by the early 1900s it had already disappeared from most of its range, only surviving for certain in Australia (there is a single recent possible record from the Arabian region). The saw has been described as sawfish's Achilles' heel, as it easily becomes entangled in fishing nets. Sawfish can also be difficult or dangerous to release from nets, meaning that some fishers will kill them even before bringing them aboard the boat, or cut off the saw to keep it/release the fish. Because it is their main hunting device, the long-term survival of saw-less sawfish is highly questionable. In Australia where sawfish have to be released if caught, the narrow sawfish has the highest mortality rate, but it is still almost 50% for dwarf sawfish caught in gill nets. In an attempt of lowering this, a guide to sawfish release has been published.
Sablefish
The sablefish is a species of deep-sea fish common to the North Pacific Ocean. Adult sablefish are opportunistic feeders, preying on fish (including Alaskan pollock, eulachon, capelin, herring, sandlance, and Pacific cod), squid, euphausiids, and jellyfish. Sablefish are long-lived, with a maximum recorded age of 94 years,but in recent times they have been undergoing a crisis where numbers have drastically fallen. although the majority of the commercial catch in many areas is less than 20 years old.
Southern sawtail catshark
The southern sawtail catshark ("Galeus mincaronei") is a species of catshark, part of the family Scyliorhinidae, endemic to southern Brazil. It inhabits deepwater reefs on the upper continental slope at a depth of . Reaching at least in length, this slim-bodied species closely resembles the Antilles catshark ("G. antillensis"). It has a prominent crest of enlarged dermal denticles along the dorsal edge of the caudal fin, as well as a distinctive color pattern of dark oval blotches, outlined in white, along its back. The southern sawtail catshark is oviparous, with females producing reddish egg capsules. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as Vulnerable; it is often taken as bycatch and may be threatened by intensifying squid fishing.
Smooth toadfish
The smooth toadfish is found along Australia's eastern and southeast coast, from Moreton Bay in southeastern Queensland to Port Lincoln in South Australia as well as Kangaroo Island and Tasmania. It is one of the most abundant fishes in the muddy areas of Port Philip Bay. It generally lives in shallow water less than 3 m (10 ft) deep, often over mudflats in estuaries. In areas of seagrass beds, smooth toadfish are more commonly found in sand areas bordering on the seagrass patches. They are more commonly found in seagrass patches in water less than 1.5 m (5 ft) deep rather than deeper water of 3.5–6 m (11–20 ft). A South Australian field study on wrack and associated fauna found that the smooth toadfish was associated with larger volumes and aggregations containing green algae.
Shovelnose sea catfish
The shovelnose sea catfish (Arius subrostratus), also called the short-nosed catfish or the marine catfish, is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Achille Valenciennes in 1840. It is a non-migratory species which inhabits tropical marine and brackish waters in the Indo-western Pacific region, including Indonesia, India, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand. It dwells at a depth range of . It reaches a maximum NG length of , while commonly reaching a total length of .
Dwarf sawfish
The dwarf sawfish or Queensland sawfish, "Pristis clavata", is a sawfish of the family Pristidae, found in tropical Australia. This endangered species is by far the smallest species in its family.
Dwarf sawfish
The dwarf sawfish is protected in Australian waters, but elsewhere in the world, sawfishes are harvested for their meat, fins, rostrums and oil. The main threat facing the dwarf sawfish is being caught as bycatch in gillnets and trawl nets. That this is the cause of declining numbers is demonstrated by the fact that populations are declining fastest in heavily fished areas. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed the conservation status of this fish as "endangered". There is a need for education of fishermen about safe release practices and how to manage their fisheries. However, the threats are continuing, and there is no reason to believe that the population of dwarf sawfish is recovering from previous declines.5. (Sensory Systems in Sawfishes. 1. The Ampullae of Lorenzini) https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Barbara_Wueringer/publication/51559323_Sensory_systems_in_sawfishes._1._The_ampullae_of_Lorenzini/links/09e415091dacec5f51000000.pdf
Billfish
Billfish are pelagic and highly migratory. They are found in all oceans, although they usually inhabit tropical and subtropical waters; swordfish are found in temperate waters, as well. Billfish use their long spears or sword-like upper beaks to slash at and stun prey during feeding. Their bills can also be used to spear prey, and have been known to spear boats (probably accidentally), but they are not normally used in that way. They are highly valued as gamefish by sports fishermen.
Sawfish
Sawfish have a strong shark-like body, a flat underside and a flat head. "Pristis" sawfish have a rough sandpaper-like skin texture because of the covering of dermal denticles, but in "Anoxypristis" the skin is largely smooth. The mouth and nostrils are placed on the underside of the head. There are about 88–128 small, blunt-edged teeth in the upper jaw of the mouth and about 84–176 in the lower jaw (not to be confused with the teeth on the saw). These are arranged in 10–12 rows on each jaw, and somewhat resemble a cobblestone road. They have small eyes and behind each is a spiracle, which is used to draw water past the gills. The gill slits, five on each side, are placed on the underside of the body near the base of the pectoral fins. The position of the gill openings separates them from the superficially similar, but generally much smaller (up to long) sawsharks, where the slits are placed on the side of the neck. Unlike sawfish, sawsharks also have a pair of long barbels on the rostrum ("saw").
Longcomb sawfish
Little is known of its life cycle, but it is ovoviviparous and the young are long at birth. It is often said that there are about 12 young in each litter, but the basis for this number is unclear (in other sawfish species litter size ranges from 1 to 20). The females give birth in inshore areas, and the young stay near the coast and in estuaries in the first part of their lives. Sexual maturity is reached at an age of about 9 years, and a length of . The maximum age is unknown, but it might be in excess of 50 years, and an individual caught as a juvenile lived for 35 years at an aquarium.
Reedfish
The reedfish, ropefish (more commonly used in the United States), or snakefish, "Erpetoichthys calabaricus", is a species of freshwater fish in the bichir family and order. It is the only member of the genus Erpetoichthys. It is native to West and Central Africa. The reedfish possesses a pair of lungs in addition to gills, allowing it to survive in very oxygen-poor water. It is threatened by habitat loss through palm oil plantations, other agriculture, deforestation, and urban development.
Swordfish
Swordfish ("Xiphias gladius"), also known as broadbills in some countries, are large, highly migratory, predatory fish characterized by a long, flat bill. They are a popular sport fish of the billfish category, though elusive. Swordfish are elongated, round-bodied, and lose all teeth and scales by adulthood. These fish are found widely in tropical and temperate parts of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, and can typically be found from near the surface to a depth of . They commonly reach in length, and the maximum reported is in length and in weight.
Smalltooth sawfish
Elasmobranchs are ovoviparous, have relatively long gestation periods, and internal fertilization. The sawfish eggs hatch in the uterus and the young continue to grow without a placental connection to the mother. The fetal sawfish receives nourishment from a yolk sac and absorbs all the nutrients it can from the yolk before it is born. Litters have been reported of up to 20 pups and the reproductive cycle is believed to be every two years. After sex, mating pairs separate without forming a pair bond and each continues polygamous matings.
Sawfish
The two remaining species, the dwarf sawfish and narrow sawfish, are considerably smaller, but are still large fish with a maximum total length of at least and respectively. In the past it was often reported that the dwarf sawfish only reaches about , but this is now known to be incorrect.
Pristiophorus nancyae
The African dwarf sawshark has primarily been found off the coast of Mozambique. Possible records of this species off the coasts of Somalia and Kenya remain unconfirmed. This sawshark lives a benthic lifestyle on the continental shelf, at depths reaching .
Sawshark
The shortnose sawshark ("Pristiophorus nudipinnis") is similar to the longnose sawshark; however, it has a slightly compressed body and shorter more narrow rostrum. It has 13 teeth in front of its barbels and 6 behind. The shortnose sawshark tends to be uniformly slate grey with no markings on its dorsal side and pale white or cream on its ventral side. Females reach around 124 cm (49 in) long, and males reach around 110 cm (43 in) long. These sharks can live to be up to 9 years old. Like other sawsharks, the Short Nose lives a benthic lifestyle and feeds on benthic invertebrates. It uses its barbels to detect life on the ocean floor which it then paralyzes with its rostrum. The species is ovoviviparous and tends to give birth to a litter of 7–14 pups biannually. It inhabits ocean floors off the coast of Australia.
Sebastes
Sebastes is a genus of fish in the family Sebastidae (though some include this in theScorpaenidae), most of which have the common name of rockfish. A few are called ocean perch, sea perch or redfish, instead. Most of the "Sebastes" species live in the north Pacific, although two ("S. capensis" and "S. oculatus") live in the South Pacific/Atlantic and four ("S. fasciatus", "S. mentella", "S. norvegicus", and "S. viviparus") live in the North Atlantic. The coast off Southern California is the area of highest rockfish diversity, with 56 species living in the Southern California Bight.
Cavefish
The more than 200 scientifically described obligate cavefish species are found in most continents, but there are strong geographic patterns and the species richness varies. The vast majority of species are found in the tropics or subtropics. Cavefish are strongly linked to regions with karst, which commonly result in underground sinkholes and subterranean rivers.
Sawfly
Sawflies first appeared 250 million years ago in the Triassic. The oldest superfamily, the Xyeloidea, has existed into the present. Over 200 million years ago, a lineage of sawflies evolved a parasitoid lifestyle, with carnivorous larvae that ate the eggs or larvae of other insects. One branch of this lineage is Apocrita, and the other is Orussidae, the parasitic wood wasps. Sawflies are distributed globally, though they are more diverse in the northern hemisphere.
Sawfish
The status of the two species of the Atlantic region, the smalltooth and largetooth sawfish, is comparable to the Indo-Pacific. For example, sawfish have been entirely extirpated from most of the Atlantic coast of Africa (only survives for certain in Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone), as well as South Africa. The only relatively large remaining population of the largetooth sawfish in the Atlantic region is at the Amazon estuary in Brazil, but there are smaller in Central America and West Africa, and this species is also found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The smalltooth sawfish is only found in the Atlantic region and it is possibly the most threatened of all the species, as it had the smallest original range (range ) and has experienced the greatest contraction (disappeared from c. 81% of its original range). It only survives for certain in six countries, and it is possible that the only remaining viable population is in the United States. In the United States the smalltooth sawfish once occurred from Texas to New York, but its numbers have declined by at least 95% and today it is essentially restricted to Florida. However, the Florida population retains a high genetic diversity, has now stabilised and appears to be slowly increasing. A Recovery Plan for the smalltooth sawfish has been in effect since 2002. It has been strictly protected in the United States since 2003 when it was added to the Endangered Species Act as the first marine fish. This makes it is "illegal to harm, harass, hook, or net sawfish in any way, except with a permit or in a permitted fishery". The fine is up to US$10,000 for the first violation alone. If accidentally caught, the sawfish has to be released as carefully as possible and a basic how-to guide has been published. In 2003 an attempt of adding the largetooth sawfish to the Endangered Species Act was denied, in part because this species does not occur in the United States anymore (last confirmed US record in 1961). However, it was added in 2011, and all the remaining sawfish species were added in 2014, restricting trade in them and their parts in the United States.
Saurida filamentosa
Saurida filamentosa, the Threadfin saury, is a species of lizardfish that lives mainly in the Western Pacific.
Bean's sawtooth eel
The Bean's sawtooth eel (Serrivomer beanii, also known commonly as the longfin sawpalate, the saw-tooth snipe eel, the sawtooth eel, the shortnosed snipe eel, and the stout sawpalate) is an eel in the family Nemichthyidae (snipe eels). It was described by Theodore Gill and John Adam Ryder in 1883. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from throughout the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Western Pacific Ocean, including Iceland, South Africa (the Cape and Natal), Réunion, and Australia. It dwells at a depth range of 0–5998 metres, and leads a solitary lifestyle. It migrates vertically at night. Males can reach a maximum total length of 78 centimetres.
Satinfin shiner
It is a freshwater fish that inhabits rivers and creeks, sometimes entering pools and riffles, and found from headwaters to areas near tidal influence. It eats insects, especially flies and mayflies. Spawning occurs in spring and summer, with individuals spawning several times over a season. The eggs are laid in cracks and crevices, under rocks, and on tree roots and wood debris. The male guards them until the young emerge in about one to two weeks, depending on temperature. The lifespan of the species is 3 to 4 years.
Thornfish
The thornfishes are a family, Bovichtidae, of fishes in the order Perciformes. The family is spelled Bovichthyidae in J. S. Nelson's "Fishes of the World". They are native to coastal waters off Australia, New Zealand, and South America, and to rivers and lakes of southeast Australia and Tasmania. They are one of two families of the suborder Notothenioidei with a primarily non-Antarctic distribution., the other being Pseudaphritidae.
Sawfish
Among the five sawfish species, only the four "Pristis" species are known to be kept in public aquariums. The most common is the largetooth sawfish with studbooks including 16 individuals in North America in 2014, 5 individuals in Europe in 2013 and 13 individuals in Australia in 2017, followed by the green sawfish with 13 individuals in North America and 6 in Europe. Both these species are also kept at public aquariums in Asia and the only captive dwarf sawfish are in Japan. In 2014, studbooks included 12 smalltooth sawfish in North America, and the only kept elsewhere are at a public aquarium in Colombia.
Sawfish
"Anoxypristis" contains a single living species that historically was included in "Pristis", but the two genera are morphologically and genetically highly distinct. Today "Pristis" contains four living, valid species divided into two species groups. Three species are in the smalltooth group, and there is only a single in the largetooth group. Three poorly defined species were formerly recognized in the largetooth group, but in 2013 it was shown that "P. pristis", "P. microdon" and "P. perotteti" do not differ in morphology or genetics. As a consequence, recent authorities treat "P. microdon" and "P. perotteti" as junior synonyms of "P. pristis".
Smalltooth sawfish
The many teeth of a sawfish's saw are not actually teeth at all, but rather special types of scales known a dermal denticles. These protruding weapons, combined with the animal's ability to strike from side to side with great force, provide it with a powerful and efficient defense mechanism. Although the saw is mainly used for feeding purposes, observations of sawfish in captivity show that they may also be used for self-defense. When sharks or other marine creatures threaten them, they retaliate with three swift blows to the instigator's dorsum. Sawfish are not considered harmful to humans unless they are threatened.
Pacific sandfish
The Pacific sandfish ("Trichodon trichodon") is a species of sandfish native to the Pacific coast of North America, from San Francisco Bay to Unimak Island in the Aleutian Islands. Like its cousin the sailfin or Japanese sandfish ("Arctoscopus japonicus"), the Pacific sandfish is a small, deepwater fish distributed over sandy and muddy depths. It is not valued for sushi like its Japanese cousin, but is occasionally caught from piers by recreational anglers.
List of threatened rays
Sawfish are a less well known family of rays which have a long rostrum resembling a saw. Some species can reach in length. All species of sawfish are either endangered or critically endangered as a result of habitat destruction and overfishing. Their young stay close to shore, and are particularly affected by coastal developments. Because their rostrum is easily entangled, sawfishes can easily become bycatch in fishing nets. They are also exploited for the novelty value of their rostrum, their fins are eaten as a delicacy in China, and their liver oil used as a food supplement. While arguing for a global ban on international commerce in 2007, a representative from the National Museums of Kenya stated, "Only the meat is consumed locally; and artisanal fishermen can retire after catching one sawfish due to the high value of a single rostrum, up to $1,450." In 2013 CITES uplisted the largetooth sawfish to Appendix I. This is CITES highest protection level, and means that all international trade of the species is banned.
Cuttlefish
The family Sepiidae, which contains all cuttlefish, inhabits tropical and temperate ocean waters. They are mostly shallow-water animals, although they are known to go to depths of about . They have an unusual biogeographic pattern: they are present along the coasts of East and South Asia, Western Europe, and the Mediterranean, as well as all coasts of Africa and Australia, but are totally absent from the Americas. By the time the family evolved, ostensibly in the Old World, the North Atlantic possibly had become too cold and deep for these warm-water species to cross.
The common cuttlefish ("Sepia officinalis"), is found in the Mediterranean, North, and Baltic Seas, although populations may occur as far south as South Africa. They are found in sublittoral depths, between the low tide line and the edge of the continental shelf, to about 180 m (100 fathoms)." The cuttlefish is listed under the Red List category of "least concern" by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This means that while some over-exploitation of the marine animal has occurred in some regions due to large-scale commercial fishing, their wide geographic range prevents them from being too threatened. Ocean acidification, however, caused largely by higher levels of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere, is cited as a potential threat.
Chiloglanis paratus
Chiloglanis paratus, the sawfin suckermouth, is a species of upside-down catfish native to Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe where it is found in the Pongolo, Incomati and Limpopo River systems. This species grows to a length of SL.
African sawtail catshark
The African sawtail catshark is found along much of the western coast of Africa, from southern Morocco to the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. It is known to be abundant off Namibia and rare south of the Orange River. This species inhabits the outer continental shelf and upper continental slope between the depths of , and is most common at depths of . Found on or near the bottom, this shark can tolerate water with low levels of dissolved oxygen.
Sawfish
Relatively little is known about the reproductive habits of the sawfish, but all species are ovoviviparous with the adults females giving birth to live young once a year or every second year. In general, males appear to reach sexual maturity at a slightly younger age and smaller size than females. As far as known, sexual maturity is reached at an age of 7–12 years in "Pristis" and 2–3 years in "Anoxypristis". In the smalltooth and green sawfish this equals a total length of , in the largetooth sawfish at , in the dwarf sawfish about , and in the narrow sawfish at . This means that the generation length is about 4.6 years in the narrow sawfish and 14.6–17.2 years in the remaining species.
Australian sawtail catshark
The Australian sawtail catshark ("Figaro boardmani") is a common species of catshark, and part of the family Scyliorhinidae, endemic to southern Australian waters. It is found on or near the bottom of the outer continental shelf and upper continental slope, at depths of . This slim-bodied species is characterized by crests of enlarged dermal denticles along both the dorsal and ventral edges of its caudal fin and caudal peduncle, along with a color pattern of broad, dark saddles outlined in white. It can grow to in length. The Australian sawtail catshark feeds mainly on fishes, crustaceans, and cephalopods. Females are oviparous and lay eggs enclosed by capsules. This species is often caught incidentally by commercial bottom trawl fisheries, but is not significantly threatened by fishing activity. Thus, it has been assessed as of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).