# Dwarf sawfish

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Species of cartilaginous fish

Dwarf sawfish Pristis clavata in the Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa Conservation status Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)[1] CITES Appendix I [2] Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Chondrichthyes Subclass: Elasmobranchii Order: Rhinopristiformes Family: Pristidae Genus: Pristis Species: P. clavata Binomial name Pristis clavata Garman, 1906

The **dwarf sawfish** or **Queensland sawfish** (***Pristis clavata***) is a [sawfish](/source/Sawfish) of the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Pristidae](/source/Pristidae), found in tropical [Australia](/source/Australia). This [endangered species](/source/Endangered_species) is the smallest species in its family.

## Description

Rostrum

Ventral side of dwarf sawfish

The dwarf sawfish has a torpedo-shaped body that resembles that of a shark, and grows to a length of about 3.2 m (10.5 ft). It has broad, triangular pectoral fins and large, upright dorsal fins. The first dorsal fin is located directly above, or slightly behind, the origins of the pelvic fins, and the caudal fin has a very small lower lobe. The snout is broad and flat and is elongated into a [rostrum](/source/Rostrum_(anatomy)) with around twenty pairs of rostral teeth. The rostral teeth are rounded and lack the grooves seen in [Largetooth sawfish](/source/Largetooth_sawfish), and if present, they are very small and limited.[3] This fish is usually greenish-brown, or occasionally yellowish-brown, on its dorsal surface, and whitish underneath.[4]

## Distribution and habitat

The dwarf sawfish is native to the western and central [Indo-Pacific](/source/Indo-Pacific) region and historically had a much wider range than it does now. Its present confirmed range is from southern [New Guinea](/source/New_Guinea) to the tropical region of northern [Australia](/source/Australia).[1] A recorded sighting from the [Canary Islands](/source/Canary_Islands) was probably of a different species. It typically inhabits inshore waters, estuaries, tidal mudflats and sometimes the lowest reaches of rivers.[5]

## Ecology

Dwarf sawfish head

This sawfish feeds mainly on fish, but also eats molluscs and crustaceans.[6] The rostrum has large numbers of pores adapted for [electroreception](/source/Electroreception) and is probably also used to manipulate prey. Its sensory input helps the fish move about in the muddy waters in which it often lives.[7] Although they are sometimes found in deep water, most movements take place while the tide is either rising or falling, and movements during each tidal cycle may be up to 10 km (6.2 mi). At high tide the fish tend to forage and rest among the [mangroves](/source/Mangrove).[4]

Little is known of the breeding habits of the dwarf sawfish. The fish are [ovoviviparous](/source/Ovoviviparity) with the developing embryos feeding on the yolks of their eggs. It is not known how many young can be carried at one time nor how frequently the fish can breed, but the young are about 65 cm (26 in) long when they are born. Maximum longevity in this species is estimated to be forty-eight years.[4]

## Status

The dwarf sawfish is protected in Australian waters, but elsewhere in the world, sawfishes are harvested for their meat, fins, rostrums and oil. The main threat facing the dwarf sawfish is being caught as [bycatch](/source/Bycatch) in gillnets and trawl nets. That this is the cause of declining numbers is demonstrated by the fact that populations are declining fastest in heavily fished areas. The [International Union for Conservation of Nature](/source/International_Union_for_Conservation_of_Nature) has assessed the conservation status of this fish as "[critically endangered](/source/Critically_endangered)". There is a need for education of fishermen about safe release practices and how to manage their fisheries. However, the threats are continuing, and there is no reason to believe that the population of dwarf sawfish is recovering from previous declines.[1]

Due to the decrease in the number of individuals, this species is rarely stored in aquariums, and as of 2021, 2 individuals (1 male and 1 female) are in kept in the Japanese public aquarium [Aqua Park Shinagawa](/source/Aqua_Park_Shinagawa).[8][9]

## See also

- [Sharks portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Sharks)

- [List of threatened rays](/source/List_of_threatened_rays)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-iucn_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-iucn_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-iucn_1-2) Grant, M.I.; Charles, R.; Fordham, S.; Harry, A.V.; Lear, K.O.; Morgan, D.L.; Phillips, N.M.; Simeon, B.; Wakhida, Y.; Wueringer, B.E. (2022). ["*Pristis clavata*"](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/39390/68641215). *[IUCN Red List of Threatened Species](/source/IUCN_Red_List)*. **2022** e.T39390A68641215. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T39390A68641215.en](https://doi.org/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T39390A68641215.en). Retrieved 9 December 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["CITES Appendices I, II and III"](https://cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/app/2023/E-Appendices-2023-05-04.pdf) (PDF). Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. 4 May 2023. p. 54. Retrieved 20 May 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Freshwater Sawfish Pristis microdon Latham, 1794 (Chondrichthyes: Pristidae) in the Kimberley region of Western Australia"](https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Comparison-of-the-rostral-tooth-shape-of-Pristis-microdon-and-Pristis-clavata-from-the_fig9_279542495). *researchgate*.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Curtis_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Curtis_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Curtis_4-2) Curtis, Lee K.; Dennis, Andrew J.; McDonald, Keith R. (2012). [*Queensland's Threatened Animals*](https://books.google.com/books?id=gsaXOp6qKawC&pg=PA82). Csiro Publishing. pp. 82–. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-643-09614-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-643-09614-1).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Garilao, Cristina V. ["*Pristis clavata*"](http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Pristis-clavata.html). FishBase. Retrieved 2015-08-19.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Dwarf Sawfish (*Pristis clavata*)"](http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/dwarfsawfish.htm). NOAA Fisheries. 2014-12-16. Retrieved 2015-08-19.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Wueringer B.E.; Peverell S.C.; Seymour J.; Squire Jr. L.; Kajiura S.M.; Collin S.P. (2011). "Sensory Systems in Sawfishes. 1. The Ampullae of Lorenzini". *Brain, Behavior and Evolution*. **78** (2): 130–149. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1159/000329515](https://doi.org/10.1159%2F000329515). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [21829004](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21829004). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [16357946](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:16357946).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [""裏の顔"が人気！ノコギリエイの展示は3水族館のみ。性格・特徴、世界唯一展示も"](https://kids.rurubu.jp/article/35213/). *るるぶkids* (in Japanese). 13 September 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Guide to the facility UPPER FLOOR (2F) | Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa"](https://web.archive.org/web/20201005083227/http://www.aqua-park.jp/en/aqua/facility/upperfloor.html). *Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa*. Archived from [the original](http://www.aqua-park.jp/en/aqua/facility/upperfloor.html) on 5 October 2020.

## External links

- Media related to [*Pristis clavata*](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Pristis_clavata) at Wikimedia Commons

- Data related to [*Pristis clavata*](https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Pristis_clavata) at Wikispecies

- [Species Description of Pristis clavata at www.shark-references.com](http://shark-references.com/species/view/Pristis-clavata)

Taxon identifiers Pristis clavata Wikidata: Q244406 Wikispecies: Pristis clavata AFD: Pristis_clavata BOLD: 86861 CoL: 788GJ CMS: pristis-clavata ECOS: 9971 EUNIS: 127034 FishBase: 15378 GBIF: 5216282 iNaturalist: 110378 IRMNG: 10155838 IUCN: 39390 NCBI: 495876 NOAA: dwarf-sawfish OBIS: 271422 Open Tree of Life: 703742 Plazi: 8DE9A1B0-6DF7-DD90-11AB-8872562DBB47 Species+: 7381 SPRAT: 68447 WoRMS: 271422 ZooBank: 53BFC74C-7DB0-417B-9AF5-4370734082B2

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Dwarf sawfish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_sawfish) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_sawfish?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.