Hello and welcome back to another Finn Friday my fellow curious critters! Today we are going to learn all about a species of shark that I just discovered existed, the Longnose Sawshark! With over 400 species, that we know of so far, we can always discover new sharks together! Now, these guys may look extremely similar to Sawfish, but they are different! Sawsharks are true sharks while Sawfish are actually in the ray family. So, let’s all grab our wetsuits and dive on in!
Where do they live?
Longnose Sawsharks are only found off the southern coast of Australia. They can be found at depths up to around 984 feet (300 meters). Longnose Sawsharks love to hang out in areas with a gravely or sandy bottom and tend to spend most of their time near the seafloor.
How long do they live?
Scientists believe they can live to be around 9-15 years old in the wild. There hasn’t been much dedicated research on this species, so there is still a lot we don’t know. Most of the information we have is from individuals caught as accidental bycatch or the individuals collected for consumption.
What do they eat?
For the most part, Longnose Sawsharks eat small fishes. They have been known to occasionally eat some benthic invertebrates (organisms that lack a backbone that live at the bottom of the ocean/in the sediment) or small crustaceans.
What do they like to do?
Now, this is one of the things I think is really cool about this shark. They get their name from their long rostrum, or snout, that is covered in little teeth, making it look like a saw. Their rostrum also has two barbles and special cells that allow them to detect the electric field produced by other animals. Longnose Sawsharks don’t have great eyesight, so they use their rostrum to detect prey both in the water and buried in the sediment. Once they have found their prey, they once again utilize their rostrum to dig their prey out of the sediment or stun it if it is swimming around. They stun them by swinging their heads back and forth and hitting their prey with their rostrum.
Conservation Status:
According to the IUCN Red List, the Longnose Sawshark is listed as least concern. While they are targeted by one fishery for human consumption, the population does not experience overfishing and is stable thanks to effective fisheries management and catch limitations.
Thank you for coming and learning with me today! I have really enjoyed learning all about a brand new shark for me. I love the fact that there is always something new for us to learn no matter how much we have learned in the past. What is one of your favorite things you have ever learned? It doesn’t even have to be about sharks. Let me know below! I’ll see you all back here Monday for more science fun!
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