Huge fish found in Sindhudurg

You will want to take a closer look at this amazing fish with over 253,000 views that was found this week in the sea near Vijaydurg in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra, India. The huge fish is a sawfish, that true to its name has a large saw like nose that resembles a saw. The smallest sawfish is the dwarf sawfish which grows to about 4.6 feet which is much smaller than the others. The largest species of sawfish seems to be the large-tooth sawfish, the Leichhardt's sawfish and the common sawfish which can all grow to about 23 feet in length. One southern species of sawfish was recorded as weighing 5,412 pounds. Such massive specimens of sawfish that survive long enough to approach their maximum size and age are believed to have lifespans of around 51 years.

Sawfishes are also known as carpenter sharks, which are a family of rays that are characterized by their long, narrow, flattened rostrum, or nose extension, that is lined with sharp transverse teeth, to resemble a saw. Several species of sawfishes can grow to around 23 feet. The sawfish family as a whole is largely unknown and studied little. The sawfish is the only living family within the order Pristiformes, whose name comes from the Ancient Greek word of saw or Sawyer. All species of sawfishes are listed as Endangered species or Critically Endangered by the IUCN, and face the threat of extinction because of habitat loss and overfishing. Global populations of all sawfish species are estimated to have fallen to less than 10 percent of their historic levels, and they have been lost from at least 80 percent of their historic range. The smalltooth sawfish was once widely distributed, but available data indicate that the range of this unique species has been reduced by about 90 percent, and their population numbers have declined dramatically, by possibly 95 percent or more. International commerce of the sawfish has been banned globally since 2007, with the only exception of this ban being for the provision of live sawfish to go to public aquaria primarily for conservation purposes.

The sawfish's most distinctive feature is the long saw-like rostrum, which is covered with electrosensitive pores that allow the fish to detect slight movements of prey that are hidden in the muddy sea floor. The rostrum of the sawfish also serves as a digging tool so they can unearth buried crustaceans. If any suitable prey tries to swim the past, the sawfish which is usually lethargic springs from the bottom and slashes at it with its saw. This stuns or impales the unsuspecting prey enough for the sawfish to devour it. Sawfish also defends themselves with their rostrum against intruding divers and predators such as sharks.

The body and head of the sawfish are flat, and the fish spends most of their time lying on the sea floor. Like rays, a sawfish's mouth and nostrils are on its flat underside. The mouth is lined with tiny, dome-shaped teeth that are used for eating small fish and crustaceans, which the sawfish sometimes swallows whole. Sawfish breathes with two spiracles just behind the eyes that draw water to the gills. The skin is covered with tiny dermal denticles that give the fish a rough texture. Sawfish is usually light gray or brown; the smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata, appears olive green. Like other elasmobranchs, sawfish lacks a swim bladder and use a large, oil-filled liver to control buoyancy. Their skeleton is made of cartilage. You will find this sawfish photo on the Daily World site. This is just one of the trending stories you will find along with news, world, celebrity news, sports, news about famous people and more. **