# Smalltooth sawfish > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Smalltooth_sawfish > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Smalltooth_sawfish.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smalltooth_sawfish > Source revision: 1355301163 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Species of cartilaginous fish}} {{Speciesbox | image = Pristis pectinata SI.jpg | image_caption = ''Pristis pectinata'' in [Aquarium of the Americas](/source/Aquarium_of_the_Americas) | status = CR | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = | status2 = CITES_A1 | status2_system = CITES | status2_ref = {{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}} | taxon = Pristis pectinata | authority = [Latham](/source/John_Latham_(ornithologist)), 1794 | range_map = Smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) IUCN range 2022.svg | range_map_caption = IUCN range {{leftlegend|#2784d5|Extant (resident)}} {{leftlegend|#c70c00|Possibly extinct}} {{leftlegend|#21004e|Presence uncertain}} }} The '''smalltooth sawfish''' ('''''Pristis pectinata''''') is a species of [sawfish](/source/sawfish) in the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Pristidae](/source/Pristidae). It is found in shallow [tropical](/source/tropical) and [subtropical](/source/subtropical) waters in coastal and [estuarine](/source/estuarine) parts of the Atlantic.{{cite iucn|title=''Pristis pectinata''|article-number=e.T18175A58298676|year=2022|access-date=5 August 2024|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T18175A58298676.en|vauthors=Carlson J, Blanco-Parra MP, Bonfil-Sanders R, Charles R, Charvet P, Chevis M, [Dulvy NK](/source/Nick_Dulvy), Espinoza M, Faria V, Ferretti F, Fordham S, Giovos I, Graham J, Grubbs D, Pacoureau N, Phillips NM}}{{Cite journal |vauthors=Poulakis GR, Stevens PW, Timmers AA, Stafford CJ, Chapman DD, Feldheim KA, Heupel MR, Curtis C |year=2016 |title=Long-term site fidelity of endangered small-tooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) from different mothers |url=https://spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/pdf-content/fish-bull/poulakis.pdf |journal=[Fishery Bulletin](/source/Fishery_Bulletin) |volume=114 |issue=4 |pages=461–475 |doi=10.7755/fb.114.4.8 |access-date=5 August 2024 |doi-access=free}} Reports from elsewhere are now believed to be misidentifications of other species of sawfish.{{cite book |title=Rays of the World |vauthors=[Last PR](/source/Peter_R._Last), [White WT](/source/William_Toby_White), Naylor GP |publisher=[CSIRO](/source/CSIRO) |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-643-10914-8 |veditors=[Last PR](/source/Peter_R._Last), [White WT](/source/William_Toby_White), de Carvalho MR, Séret B, Stehmann MW, Naylor GP |pages=59–66 |chapter=Sawfishes: Family Pristidae (Ch. 8) |name-list-style=amp}}{{Failed verification|date=August 2024}} It is a [critically endangered](/source/critically_endangered) species that has disappeared from much of its historical range. ==Distribution and habitat== The smalltooth sawfish is found in tropical and subtropical parts of the Atlantic, including the [Caribbean](/source/Caribbean_Sea) and [Gulf of Mexico](/source/Gulf_of_Mexico). Its original range was the smallest of the sawfish species, covering about {{convert|2100000|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}.{{cite journal| author=Dulvy| author2=Davidson| author3=Kyne| author4=Simpfendorfer| author5=Harrison| author6=Carlson| author7=Fordham| name-list-style=amp | year=2014 | title=Ghosts of the coast: global extinction risk and conservation of sawfishes | journal=Aquatic Conserv: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst. | volume=26 | issue=1 | pages=134–153 | doi=10.1002/aqc.2525 | url=https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/37738/6/37738%20Dulvy%20et%20al%202016.pdf| doi-access=free}} In the west it once ranged from the United States to [Uruguay](/source/Uruguay) and in the east from [Senegal](/source/Senegal) to [Angola](/source/Angola). Today it has disappeared from much of its historical range. There are old reports from the [Mediterranean Sea](/source/Mediterranean_Sea), but this likely involved [vagrants](/source/Vagrancy_(biology)) and according to the [FAO](/source/Food_and_Agriculture_Organization) the species can be considered locally extinct in the Mediterranean Sea.{{cite web|title=List of locally extinct species|website=Guide of Mediterranean Skates and Rays|publisher=The Mediterranean Science Commission (CIESM)|year=2022|author1=Mendez, L.|author2=Bacquet, A.|author3=Briand, F.|url=https://ciesm.org/marine/programs/skatesandrays/locally-extinct-species/|access-date=16 July 2023}} Smalltooth sawfish are mostly found in coastal marine and [estuarine](/source/estuarine) [brackish](/source/brackish) waters. It prefers water less than {{convert|8|m|ft|abbr=on}} deep, but adults are occasionally seen offshore at depths of up to {{convert|122|m|ft|abbr=on}}.{{cite web | author=Whitty, J. | author2=Phillips, N.| author3=Scharfer, R.| name-list-style=amp | url=http://www.sawfishconservationsociety.org/pectinata.htm |title=Pristis pectinata (Latham, 1794) | publisher=Sawfish Conservation Society |access-date=17 November 2017 }} During periods with increased [salinity](/source/salinity), juveniles have been seen far up rivers. This species is mostly found in places with soft bottoms such as mud or sand, but may also occur over hard rocky bottoms or at [coral reef](/source/coral_reef)s.{{cite journal| author=Seitz, J.C.| author2=G.R. Poulakis| name-list-style=amp | year=2002 | title=Recent occurrence of the smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata (Elasmobranchiomorphi: Pristidae), in Florida Bay and the Florida Keys, with comments on sawfish ecology | journal=Florida Scientist | volume=65 | issue=4 | pages=256–266 | jstor=24321140 }} They are often found in areas with [mangrove](/source/mangrove) or [seagrass](/source/seagrass). The lower water temperature limit is {{convert|16-18|C|F|abbr=on}}.{{cite web | url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/discover/sawfish/sawfish-myths/ | title=Sawfish Myths |publisher=University of Florida | access-date=27 November 2017| date=2017-05-04 }} ==Appearance== [[File:Pristis pectinata SI3.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Smalltooth sawfish at the [Aquarium of the Americas](/source/Aquarium_of_the_Americas)]] The smalltooth sawfish reputedly reaches a total length of up to {{convert|7.6|m|ft|abbr=on}},{{FishBase | genus = Pristis | species = pectinata | date=3 November 2007 }} but this is likely an exaggeration and the largest confirmed size is {{convert|5.54|m|ft|abbr=on}}. It weighs up to {{convert|350|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. Its upperparts are brownish-gray, gray, bluish-gray or blackish, and the underparts are whitish.{{cite book| author=Kells, V.| author2=K. Carpenter| name-list-style=amp | title=A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes from Texas to Maine | year=2015 | publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press | page=82 | isbn=978-0-8018-9838-9 }} Unlike the [largetooth sawfish](/source/largetooth_sawfish) (''P. pristis''), the only other sawfish in the Atlantic, the smalltooth sawfish has a leading edge of the [dorsal fin](/source/dorsal_fin) that is placed roughly above the leading edge of the [pelvic fin](/source/pelvic_fin)s (when the sawfish is seen from above or the side), relatively short [pectoral fin](/source/pectoral_fin)s and lack of a distinct lower lobe to the tail (lower lobe very small or absent). It can be separated from the more similar [dwarf sawfish](/source/dwarf_sawfish) (''P. clavata'') and [green sawfish](/source/green_sawfish) (''P. zijsron'') by the distribution (both are only found in the [Indo-Pacific](/source/Indo-Pacific)) and the dorsal fin (its leading edge is placed slightly or clearly behind the leading edge of the pelvic fins in the dwarf and green sawfish). The smalltooth sawfish has a relatively narrow [rostrum](/source/Rostrum_(anatomy)) ("saw") with 20–32 teeth on each side.{{refn|group=note|Sawfish occasionally lose teeth during their life and these are not replaced.{{cite journal| last1=Slaughter | first1=Bob H. | last2=Springer | first2=Stewart | year=1968 | title=Replacement of Rostral Teeth in Sawfishes and Sawsharks | journal=Copeia | volume=1968 | issue=3 | pages=499–506 | jstor=1442018 | doi=10.2307/1442018 }} Correct tooth count refers to actual teeth and [alveoli](/source/Dental_alveolus) ("tooth sockets") from lost teeth.{{cite journal| author=Wueringer, B.E.| author2=L. Squire Jr.| author3=S.P. Collin| name-list-style=amp | year=2009 | title=The biology of extinct and extant sawfish (Batoidea: Sclerorhynchidae and Pristidae) | journal=Rev Fish Biol Fisheries | volume=19 | issue=4| pages=445–464 | doi=10.1007/s11160-009-9112-7 | bibcode=2009RFBF...19..445W| s2cid=3352391}}}} ==Function of the saw== thumb|upright=1.2|''Pristis pectinata'', X-ray image ===For feeding=== For many years, rarity of seeing a sawfish in the wild prevented scientists from collecting conclusive evidence about the use of their distinctive rostrum. This led them to falsely assume that the sawfish, like many other marine vertebrates with a "beak," or an elongated rostrum, follow the rule that the [appendage](/source/appendage) is used to either sense prey or capture prey, but never both. There are no other highly studied marine animals with similar rostral characteristics that have shown that the rostrum is used for both of these feeding techniques. Recent studies have demonstrated, however, that the sawfish utilize their rostrum to both sense and manipulate prey.{{cite book|last=Crew|first=Becky|title=Zombie birds, astronaut fish, and other weird animals|publisher=Adams Media|location=Avon, Mass.|isbn=978-1-4405-6026-2|date=2013-04-18}} A sawfish's saw is made up of thousands of [sensory organs](/source/Sensory_system) that allow them to detect and monitor the movements of other organisms by measuring the [electric field](/source/electric_field)s they emit.{{cite journal|last=Wueringer|first=B.E.|author2=Peverell, S.C.|author3= Seymour, J.|author4= Squire Jr., L.|author5= Kajiura, S.M.|author6= Collin, S.P.|title=Sensory Systems in Sawfishes. 1. The Ampullae of Lorenzini|journal=Brain, Behavior and Evolution|date=1 January 2011|volume=78|issue=2|pages=139–149|doi=10.1159/000329515|pmid=21829004|s2cid=16357946}} The sensory organs, also called ampullary pores, are packed most densely on the [dorsal](/source/dorsum_(anatomy)) side of its beak. This allows the fish to create an image of the three-dimensional area above it, even in waters of low-visibility. This provides support for the [bottom-dwelling](/source/bottom-dwelling) behavior of sawfish. Utilizing their saw as an extended sensing device, sawfish are able to "view" their entire surroundings by maintaining a position low to the sea floor.{{cite journal|author=Barbara E. Wueringer|author2=Lyle Squire Jr.|author3=Shaun P. Collin|title=The biology of extinct and extant sawfish (Batoidea: Sclerorhynchidae and Pristidae)|journal=Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries|year=2009|volume=19|issue=4|doi=10.1007/s11160-009-9112-7|pages=445–464|bibcode=2009RFBF...19..445W |s2cid=3352391}} Sawfish were thought to primarily prey upon sand dwelling [crustaceans](/source/crustaceans) and [mollusks](/source/mollusks), similar to other [ray](/source/Batoidea) species or the closely related group of [guitarfish](/source/guitarfish)es,{{Cite journal |last1=Valenzuela-Quiñonez |first1=Fausto |last2=Galván-Magaña |first2=Felipe |last3=Ebert |first3=David A. |last4=Aragón-Noriega |first4=E. Alberto |date=November 2018 |title=Feeding habits and trophic level of the shovelnose guitarfish (Pseudobatos productus) in the upper Gulf of California |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-marine-biological-association-of-the-united-kingdom/article/abs/feeding-habits-and-trophic-level-of-the-shovelnose-guitarfish-pseudobatos-productus-in-the-upper-gulf-of-california/8F0809B317B44877E09709066A1B645D |journal=Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom |language=en |volume=98 |issue=7 |pages=1783–1792 |doi=10.1017/S0025315417000832 |bibcode=2018JMBUK..98.1783V |issn=0025-3154|url-access=subscription }} by using their unique anatomical structure as a tool for digging and grubbing about in sand or mud,{{cite journal|last1=Breder|first1=C. M. |year=1952 |title=On the utility of the saw of the sawfish |journal=Copeia |volume=1952 |issue=2 |pages=90–91 |doi=10.2307/1438539 |jstor=1438539}} However, molecular evidence from prey item identification of [DNA](/source/DNA) in the feces of southwest Florida smalltooth sawfish using a broad 18S rRNA molecular marker indicated the majority of their diet (71% of [animal](/source/animal) DNA sequences) consists of fish.{{Cite journal |last1=Poulakis |first1=Gregg R. |last2=Urakawa |first2=Hidetoshi |last3=Stevens |first3=Philip W. |last4=DeAngelo |first4=Jacquelyn A. |last5=Timmers |first5=Amy A. |last6=Grubbs |first6=R. Dean |last7=Fisk |first7=Aaron T. |last8=Olin |first8=Jill A. |date=2017-06-15 |title=Sympatric elasmobranchs and fecal samples provide insight into the trophic ecology of the smalltooth sawfish |url=https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v32/p491-506/ |journal=Endangered Species Research |language=en |volume=32 |pages=491–506 |doi=10.3354/esr00824 |issn=1863-5407|doi-access=free }} The same study found mollusks and crustaceans were a minority (14% of animal DNA sequences) and nearly all were identified as [Harpacticoida](/source/Harpacticoida) copepods, making it an unlikely prey item due to its small size and may represent 'secondary predation', a phenomenon where the DNA of an organism consumed by a prey item is detected in molecular gut or fecal analyses of a predator.{{Cite journal |last1=Sheppard |first1=S. K. |last2=Bell |first2=J. |last3=Sunderland |first3=K. D. |last4=Fenlon |first4=J. |last5=Skervin |first5=D. |last6=Symondson |first6=W. O. C. |date=December 2005 |title=Detection of secondary predation by PCR analyses of the gut contents of invertebrate generalist predators |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005.02742.x |journal=Molecular Ecology |language=en |volume=14 |issue=14 |pages=4461–4468 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005.02742.x |pmid=16313606 |bibcode=2005MolEc..14.4461S |issn=0962-1083|url-access=subscription }} A follow-up study using higher resolution mitochondrial 12S and 16S rRNA markers targeting fishes determined smalltooth sawfish to be a generalist [piscivore](/source/piscivore), identifying the DNA of 24 fish species from 7 orders and 11 families across 15 fecal samples analyzed.{{Cite journal |last1=Hancock |first1=Taylor L. |last2=Poulakis |first2=Gregg R. |last3=Scharer |first3=Rachel M. |last4=Tolley |first4=S. Gregory |last5=Urakawa |first5=Hidetoshi |date=2019-12-04 |title=High-resolution molecular identification of smalltooth sawfish prey |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |volume=9 |issue=1 |page=18307 |doi=10.1038/s41598-019-53931-7 |issn=2045-2322 |pmc=6892823 |pmid=31797939|bibcode=2019NatSR...918307H }} It is believed that the elongated rostrum first evolved for its use in prey immobilization. Smalltooth sawfish have been observed to approach large [shoal](/source/shoal)s of fish while striking their saw rapidly from side to side. Due to the high density of small fish in a shoal, there is a high probability that the sawfish will hit, stab, stun, or kill several prey during one shoal attack.{{cite book|first=Scott W.|last=Michael|title=Reef Sharks & Rays of the World |year=2005|publisher=Prostar Pubns|isbn=978-1-57785-538-5}} Vertebrate biologist Barbara Wueringer, of the University of Queensland, demonstrated that sawfish use their extended rostrum to detect and manipulate prey. She observed the animals' reaction to food already at the bottom of the tank, food falling from the water's surface, and introduced electric dipoles. When the sawfish came across scraps of fish resting on the bottom of the tank, it used its rostrum to pin the "prey" down as it swam over and engulfed it. When food was identified as it fell through the water, the sawfish would approach its "prey" from the side and swiftly strike to impale the victim with the teeth of its saw. Both of these cases support the respective digging and attacking behaviors expected from feeding sawfish in the wild. In order to show that sawfish use their beak to sense their surroundings, Wueringer placed electric [dipoles](/source/dipoles) throughout the tank to simulate the electrical signals that surround moving prey.{{cite journal|last=Wueringer|first=Barbara E.|author2=Squire, Lyle|author3= Kajiura, Stephen M.|author4= Hart, Nathan S.|author5= Collin, Shaun P.|title=The function of the sawfish's saw|journal=Current Biology|date=1 March 2012|volume=22|issue=5|pages=R150–R151|doi=10.1016/j.cub.2012.01.055|pmid=22401891|doi-access=free|bibcode=2012CBio...22.R150W }} Just as the sawfish displayed different aggressive behaviors towards the "prey," they also responded differently based on the electrical signals they received by either avoiding or approaching the signal source. With this evidence, the sawfish is now regarded as the only jawed fish to use its rostrum for both prey detection and manipulation. ===For defense=== The many teeth of a sawfish's saw are not actually teeth at all, but rather special types of scales known as [dermal denticle](/source/dermal_denticle)s.{{cite journal|last1=Slaughter|first1=Bob H.|last2=Springer|first2=Stewart |year=1968 |title=Replacement of Rostral Teeth in Sawfishes and Sawsharks |journal=Copeia |volume=1968 |issue=3 |pages=499–506 |jstor=1442018 |doi=10.2307/1442018}} These protruding weapons, combined with the animal's ability to strike from side to side with great force, provide it with a powerful and efficient defense mechanism. Although the saw is mainly used for feeding purposes, observations of sawfish in captivity show that they may also be used for self-defense. When sharks or other marine creatures threaten them, they retaliate with three swift blows to the instigator's dorsum. Sawfish are not considered harmful to humans unless they are threatened. ==Reproductive behavior== thumb|A juvenile smalltooth sawfish being released The reproductive behavior of smalltooth sawfish has not been well studied, despite their classification as a [critically endangered](/source/critically_endangered) species.{{cite conference|author=Alan D. Henningsen|author2=Malcolm J. Smale|author3=Ian Gordon|title=Captive Breeding and Sexual Conflict in Elasmobranchs|book-title=Elasmobranch Husbandry Manual: Proceedings of the First International Elasmobranch Husbandry Symposium|year=2001|url=http://www.raulmarinosorno.com/docsvirtuales/Capitulo17.pdf|access-date=4 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004220232/http://www.raulmarinosorno.com/docsvirtuales/Capitulo17.pdf|archive-date=4 October 2013}} Nevertheless, much can be inferred based on information known about the reproductive behavior of other [elasmobranchs](/source/elasmobranchs). Observations show that smalltooth sawfish may participate in precopulatory behavior in captivity.{{cite book|editor=Smith, M.|editor2=Warmolts, D.|editor3=Thoney, D.|editor4=Hueter, R.|title=The elasmobranch husbandry manual: captive care of sharks, rays and their relatives|year=2004|publisher=Ohio Biological Survey|location=Columbus, Ohio|isbn=978-0-86727-152-2}}{{page number needed|date=October 2025}} Much of this activity involves the biting of [pectoral fins](/source/pectoral_fins) known as "courtship biting." {{cite book|last1=Pratt|first1=Harold L.|last2=Carrier|first2=Jeffrey C. |title=The behavior and sensory biology of elasmobranch fishes: An anthology in memory of Donald Richard Nelson |chapter=A review of elasmobranch reproductive behavior with a case study on the nurse shark, ''Ginglymostoma cirratum''|editor-last1=Tricas|editor-first1=Timothy C.|editor-last2=Gruber|editor-first2=Samuel H.|editor-last3=Balon|editor-first3=Eugene K.|publisher=Springer-Science+Business Media, B.V.|year=2001|orig-date=Originally published 2001 in volume 60 of ''Environmental Biology of Fishes''|volume=20 |pages=157–188 |doi=10.1007/978-94-017-3245-1_11 |series=Developments in Environmental Biology of Fishes|isbn=978-90-481-5655-9}} There is [sexual dimorphism](/source/sexual_dimorphism) in the teeth of smalltooth sawfish, with males presenting a higher mean value for both left and right rostral tooth counts.{{cite journal|author=Tonya R. Wiley|author2=Colin A. Simpfendorfer|author3=Vicente V. Faria|author4=Matthew T. Mcdavitt|name-list-style=amp |title=Range, sexual dimorphism and bilateral asymmetry of rostral tooth counts in the smalltooth sawfish ''Pristis pectinata'' Latham (Chondrichthyes: Pristidae) of the southeastern United States |journal=Zootaxa|year=2008|url=http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2008/f/zt01810p059.pdf|access-date=4 October 2013}} The [electrosensory](/source/electroreception) system is believed to be used in the courtship behavior of sawfish and other elasmobranchs. Reproductively active males use the sensory organs in their saw to locate females and vice versa. Once a mate has been selected, several copulations occur during which the male inserts his [claspers](/source/claspers), which are paired intromittent organs, into the female's vagina. The claspers contain subdermal siphon sacs that provide the propulsive power for [sperm](/source/sperm) transfer. It is also possible that the siphon sacs assist with sawfish sperm competition by washing away rival sperm from the female's vagina before copulations. Smalltooth sawfish have recently been observed, for the first time, to reproduce parthenogenetically in the wild. About 3 percent of the sawfish living in a Florida estuary are the result of [parthenogenesis](/source/parthenogenesis). The research team speculates that since smalltooth sawfish are so rare, females might sometimes fail to find a male during the mating season, inducing the parthenogenetic process.{{Cite web | url=http://sb.cc.stonybrook.edu/news/general/2015_06_01_parthenogenesis.php | title=Critically Endangered Ocean Giant is Reproducing Without Sex in the Wild || date=June 2015}} Elasmobranchs are [ovoviviparous](/source/ovoviviparous), have relatively long [gestation period](/source/gestation_period)s, and [internal fertilization](/source/internal_fertilization). The sawfish eggs hatch in the uterus and the young continue to grow without a [placenta](/source/placenta)l connection to the mother. The fetal sawfish receives nourishment from a [yolk sac](/source/yolk_sac) and absorbs all the nutrients it can from the yolk before it is born. Litters have been reported of up to 20 pups and the [reproductive cycle](/source/reproductive_cycle) is believed to be every two years. After sex, mating pairs separate without forming a [pair bond](/source/pair_bond) and each continues [polygamous](/source/polygamous) matings. ==Conservation status== [[File:Sign for protection of Smalltooth sawfish, Sanibel Island, FL, USA.jpg|thumb|right|Sign for the protection of smalltooth sawfish in [Florida](/source/Florida), USA]] thumb|right|A smalltooth sawfish briefly captured for tagging as part of a conservation project Smalltooth sawfish are extremely vulnerable to [overexploitation](/source/overexploitation) because of their propensity for entanglement in nets, their restricted habitat, and low rate of population growth. The species is listed as [critically endangered](/source/critically_endangered) by the [IUCN Red List](/source/IUCN_Red_List). The ''Pristis pectinata'' species is critically endangered mainly because of the fishing pressure business which feeds into the shark-fin industry.Faria, Vicente V., et al. "Species Delineation and Global Population Structure of Critically Endangered Sawfishes (Pristidae)." Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, vol. 167, no. 1, 2012, pp. 136–164., {{doi|10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00872.x}} Historically it was found in 47 countries, but it has been possibly [extirpated](/source/extirpated) from 26 countries and its presence is uncertain in a further 16 countries, leaving only five countries where it certainly still survives, although the IUCN lists it as surviving in nine countries. In terms of area, the authors of the former estimate, Dulvy et al., believe it certainly survives in only 19% of its historical range. It is the only sawfish that certainly still survives in the United States (the [largetooth sawfish](/source/largetooth_sawfish), ''P. pristis'', has likely been extirpated from this country), and it has been listed by the [National Marine Fisheries Service](/source/National_Marine_Fisheries_Service) as endangered under the [Endangered Species Act](/source/Endangered_Species_Act) since 2003.NOAA Fisheries (2 January 2015). ''[http://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/smalltooth-sawfish.html Smalltooth Sawfish (Pristis pectinata)].'' Endangered Species Act. Retrieved 8 June 2015. It is estimated that the smalltooth sawfish population in the United States now is less than 5% of historical levels. In the United States it once occurred from [Texas](/source/Texas) to [New York](/source/New_York_(state)) (northern range as summer visitors), but today it is essentially limited to [Florida](/source/Florida). In the [Everglades](/source/Everglades) region of Florida the population is now stable and possibly slowly rising. Other countries where it certainly survives are [the Bahamas](/source/the_Bahamas), [Cuba](/source/Cuba), [Belize](/source/Belize), [Honduras](/source/Honduras) and [Sierra Leone](/source/Sierra_Leone), but whether it survives in the western [Gulf of Mexico](/source/Gulf_of_Mexico) or off the Atlantic coast of South America is unclear. The species is listed on Appendix I of the [Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species](/source/Convention_on_International_Trade_in_Endangered_Species). [[File:Sawfish Atlantis Paradise Island photo D Ramey Logan.jpg|thumb|right|[Atlantis Paradise Island](/source/Atlantis_Paradise_Island) became the world's first aquarium to breed sawfish when four pups were born there in 2012.{{cite news | date=31 May 2012 | url=https://www.bahamaslocal.com/newsitem/50438/The_endangered_Smalltooth_Sawfish_gives_birth_at_Atlantis_Paradise_Island.html |title=The endangered Smalltooth Sawfish gives birth at Atlantis, Paradise Island | publisher=Bahamas Local |access-date=17 November 2017 }}]] Small numbers are maintained in [public aquarium](/source/public_aquarium)s in North America with [studbook](/source/studbook)s listing 12 individuals (5 males, 7 females) in 2014.{{cite book| author=S. White| author2=K. Duke| name-list-style=amp | chapter=Husbandry of sawfishes | editor1=M. Smith | editor2=D. Warmolts | editor3=D. Thoney | editor4=R. Hueter | editor5=M. Murray | editor6=J. Ezcurra | year=2017 |title=Elasmobranch Husbandry Manual II | publisher=Ohio Biological Survey, Inc. | pages=75–85 | isbn=978-0-86727-166-9 }} The only kept elsewhere are at a public aquarium in Colombia.{{cite web | url=http://www.sawfishconservationsociety.org/Sawfish%20media%20and%20aquariums.htm |title=Sawfish in Aquariums and the Media | publisher=Sawfish Conservation Society |access-date=17 November 2017 }} It is the only species of sawfish that has been bred in captivity. In early 2024, state and federal wildlife agencies in Florida, USA, became aware of an "unusual mortality event" from an unknown cause.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-28 |title=Sawfish are spinning, and dying, in Florida waters as rescue effort begins |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/sawfish-spinning-dying-florida-waters-192320574.html |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-US}} Affected fish exhibited spinning or whirling behavior. An effort was being made to rescue and rehabilitate affected fish.{{Cite news |last=Mazzei |first=Patricia |date=April 15, 2024 |title=What's Killing Endangered Sawfish in Florida? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/15/us/sawfish-florida-keys.html?te=1&nl=science-times&emc=edit_sc_20240416 |access-date=April 16, 2024 |work=The New York Times}} ==See also== * [Threatened rays](/source/Threatened_rays) ==Notes== {{Reflist|group=note}} ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ==External links== * {{Commons category-inline|Pristis pectinata|''Pristis pectinata''}} * {{Wikispecies-inline|Pristis pectinata|''Pristis pectinata''}} * [http://shark-references.com/species/view/Pristis-pectinata Species Description of Pristis pectinata at www.shark-references.com] * [http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/smalltoothsawfish.htm NOAA Fisheries smalltooth sawfish web page] * {{SealifePhotos|105848}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q311651}} {{Authority control}} smalltooth sawfish Category:Ovoviviparous fish Category:Fish of the Atlantic Ocean smalltooth sawfish smalltooth sawfish Category:Euryhaline fish of Brazil Category:Fish of Cuba Category:Fish of the Dominican Republic Category:Euryhaline fish of Nicaragua Category:Fish of Lake Nicaragua Category:ESA endangered species --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Smalltooth sawfish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smalltooth_sawfish) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smalltooth_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.