Overview

Sawsharks are unmistakable once the rostrum comes into view: a toothed saw with barbels placed partway along it. They are bottom-hunting sharks of shelf and slope habitats, not the giant shallow sawfishes of tropical estuaries. The elongated saw-like snout with lateral teeth and a pair of barbels is unmistakable. Unlike sawfishes, sawsharks also retain typical shark gill placement on the sides of the head. Sawsharks occur in temperate and tropical shelf and slope waters, especially in the Indo-Pacific, with a few regional species elsewhere.

They are bottom-associated sharks of soft substrates on outer shelves and upper slopes, though some enter shallower water.

Added from the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS).

Why it matters: The barbels on the saw help the shark sense prey close to the bottom.

Common namePristiophorus Schroederi
Scientific namePristiophorus schroederi
FamilyPristiophoridae
OrderPristiophoriformes
Max length0.8 m
Depth range0 to 0 meters
RegionUnknown
DietData not available in this offline release.
HabitatMarine waters (habitat data not available locally).
Why it stands outFamily: Pristiophoridae

What this shark is

The elongated saw-like snout with lateral teeth and a pair of barbels is unmistakable. Unlike sawfishes, sawsharks also retain typical shark gill placement on the sides of the head.

Where it lives

Sawsharks occur in temperate and tropical shelf and slope waters, especially in the Indo-Pacific, with a few regional species elsewhere.

They are bottom-associated sharks of soft substrates on outer shelves and upper slopes, though some enter shallower water.

How it differs from similar sharks

Family: Pristiophoridae

Compare it against Longnose sawshark, Pristiophorus Delicatus, and Pristiophorus Lanae.

Why it is notable

Direct encounters are uncommon and usually involve fishery capture rather than recreation.

Species-level taxonomy was verified from Sharkipedia's current species list and taxonomy workbook. In this pass, the narrative fields are cautious family-level placeholders synthesized from broad shark references, chiefly the FAO Sharks of the World catalogue, because a stronger multi-source species-level synthesis was not assembled here without risking invented detail. Replace this with a direct species-level synthesis before publication in the app.

Related shark pages

These links are meant to help readers continue through related species, not force extra clicks.

Historic longnose sawshark illustration showing the extended toothed rostrum and slim body; not to scale.
Pristiophorus cirratus

Longnose sawshark

Common name: Pristiophorus Cirratus

Shark species in Pristiophoridae.

1.4 m max