Pointed sawfish
📖 Overview
Found inshore, often in river deltas and estuaries; penetration well up rivers needs confirmation . Common in sheltered bays with sandy bottoms. More active swimmer than other sawfishes . Feeds on small fish, cuttlefish and small benthic invertebrates such as prawns . Ovoviviparous . Most fecund sawfish, reported to reach sexual maturity at 2-3 years . Females have litters of approximately 12 pups . Generally harmless but its saw-like snout may cause serious injury when caught: it is known thrash violently and vigorously . Caught for its flesh and liver (which is rich in oil) in some parts of Asia . Maximum lengths of up to 610 cm TL are based on unconfirmed reports .
🔬 Taxonomy
🐟 Physical Description
Greyish above, pale below; fins usually pale. Body shark-like, pectoral fins distinct; head flattened, with a blade-like snout bearing 18-22 pairs of lateral teeth; blade slender, not tapering distally. Nostrils very narrow with small nasal flaps. Rostral teeth short, flattened, broadly triangular, lacking a groove along posterior margins; no teeth on basal quarter of blade. Adults with widely spaced denticles, young with naked skin.: elongated.
🌀 Behaviour
Behavioural data for Pointed sawfish is currently being reviewed.
🦐 Diet
🥚 Reproduction
Ovoviviparous. Litter size from 6 to 23, young born in the spring .
🌍 Habitat & Distribution
Marine; freshwater; brackish; benthopelagic; amphidromous ; depth range 0 - 40 m , usually ? - 40 m . Tropical; 43°N - 20°S, 30°E - 160°E West Pacific: widespread, Red Sea to eastern Australia, north to Japan.
🌿 Ecology
small fish, cuttlefish (Ref
📐 Morphometrics
🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance
🛡️ Conservation Assessment
📊 Population Risk & Fisheries
🎣 Angling Guide
- medium-heavy 7ft spinning rod
- 30-50 lb braid
- fluorocarbon leader
- grass flats
- oyster bars
- marsh drains
- deeper channel edges
Use barbless hooks, minimise air exposure, and revive fish head-first in current before release.
⚠️ Slot limits protect breeding-size fish. Verify daily bag limits.
🍽️ Edibility & Flavour
"Pointed sawfish is an edible species."
- Clear, bright eyes — cloudy eyes indicate age
- Firm flesh that springs back when pressed
- Fresh ocean smell, never strong or ammonia-like
- Bright red or pink gills, not grey or brown
- Shiny, moist skin with scales tightly attached
- Cloudy or sunken eyes
- Strong fishy or ammonia odour
- Soft, mushy flesh that doesn't spring back
- Discoloured or dry flesh
⚡ Nutrition
Detailed nutritional data for Pointed sawfish is currently being compiled from USDA FoodData Central.
🔬 Mercury Safety
Mercury data for Pointed sawfish has not yet been assigned. Please consult FDA/EPA guidance for general seafood safety advice.
🌿 Sustainability
🔬 Full Nutritional Profile
Per 100g - Raw, per 100g - Source: USDA FoodData Central templates (generic fish average)
📊 Population Dynamics
| Year | Region | Index | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
🌐 Names & Taxonomy
| Language | Common Names |
|---|---|
| 🇬🇧English | Knifetooth Sawfish · Narrow Sawfish · Pointed Sawfish |
| 🇸🇦Arabic | Sayyaf · Sayyafah · سمكة المنشار ذات السن الحا |
| 🇫🇷French | Poisson-scie |
| 🇯🇵Japanese | Nokogiriei · ノコギリエイ |
| 🇪🇸Spanish | Pejepeine · Pez Sierra |
| 🌍THA | ปลาฉนากจะงอยปากเล็ก |
| 🇨🇳Chinese | 劍沙 · 鈍鋸鮫 · 鈍鋸鰩(尖齒鋸鰩) · 鈍鋸鱝 |
Scientific Synonyms
| Scientific Name | Author | Year | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anoxypristis cuspidate | Latham | 1794 | Synonym |
| Pristis cuspidata | Latham | 1794 | Homotypic |
| Squalus semisagittatus | Shaw | 1804 | Synonym |
🔍 Similar Species
🗺️ Global Occurrence Map
Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 9 records indexed .
👥 Community & Contribute
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