Ray
Smalltooth Sawfish
Pristis pectinata
A rare, critically endangered shark-like ray with a long toothed rostrum, once found in KZN estuaries and shallows.
Also known as carpenter shark, sawfish
- Typical size
- Historically up to several metres
- Habitat
- Estuaries, river mouths and shallow inshore
- Depth
- Shallows to about 40 m
The smalltooth sawfish is unmistakable, a flattened, shark-shaped ray with a long, blade-like snout edged with pairs of tooth-like denticles used to slash and pin prey. Grey-brown above and pale below, it grows very large and once ranged into the warm estuaries, river mouths and shallow inshore waters of KwaZulu-Natal.
Sawfish use the saw to stun small fish and to rake invertebrates from soft bottoms, and they favour muddy, low-visibility habitats. They are now critically endangered and effectively vanished from much of their former range through habitat loss and entanglement in nets. Any encounter is extraordinary and any accidental capture must be released alive and reported, never harmed or retained.