Sawfish (Pristis), a genus of cartilaginous fishes distinguished by the prolongation of the snout into a formidable weapon bordered on each side by sharp teeth. Five species of this genus include P. antiquorum in the Mediterranean and in many other seas, and P. pectinatus off the southern coasts of North America and in the Gulf of Mexico.
With its saw, which is sometimes six feet in length, the sawfish slashes or rips up its prey, and its assault is often fatal to large cetaceans. The torn-off pieces of the victim are swallowed by the sawfish, whose true teeth are small and adapted for crushing. The sawfishes are viviparous. The flesh of the sawfish is coarse and almost inedible; the shagreened skin is sometimes used for polishing. Analogous to Pristis, which, although it is somewhat shark-like, belongs to the order of rays, is the genus Pristiophorus, which is
Lower View of Head of Sawfish.
ranked among the sharks.