Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 19 



lower lobe. Dermal denticles covering integument of saw similar to those on trunk. 

 Characters otherwise those of the family. 



Size. The ancients credited the Sawfishes with sizes equal to those of the Whale- 

 bone Whales, with which they were sometimes confused — for what reason one can 

 hardly guess. ^^ However, the ichthyologists of the eighteenth century were well aware 

 that such stories had not the faintest justification. Sawfishes are among the larger of 

 elasmobranchs, commonly growing to 15—16 feet in length; the larger species are 

 reported as reaching 20-24 feet both in Indian and Australian waters''^ and in the 

 Atlantic (p. 39), and we read that "individuals of 30 feet are sometimes encountered."*' 



When comparing the weights of Sawfishes with those of Sharks it is to be remem- 

 bered that approximately V4~V3 of "^^e over-all length of the former consists of the 

 saw, which adds but little to the weight, while the head as a whole is so flattened dorso- 

 ventrally that it contributes much less to the weight than do the heads of most Sharks. 

 On the other hand, the caudal fin occupies a smaller percentage of the total length than 

 is the case in many Sharks. Thus, while a Sawfish probably would not weigh 600 pounds 

 at less than about 14 feet, a Maneater {Carcharodon) might be expected to attain that 

 weight at about eight feet, a Mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) at about nine feet, or a Green- 

 land Shark (Somniosus) at about 1 1 feet. A Sawfish 1 7 feet 4V2 inches long weighed 

 1,300 pounds.** The heaviest of which we have found record, a West Indian female 

 whose length was not recorded, was estimated to weigh 5,300 pounds.** 



Habits and Food. Sawfishes are found in most warm seas and are plentiful locally. 

 They live chiefly on bottom in shallow water where it is sandy or muddy, often close 

 to the shore and perhaps seldom descending to a depth greater than five or six fathoms. 

 They are most plentiful in sheltered bays or in estuarine situations, often in brackish 

 water. They not only ascend far above tidal limits in large rivers in many parts of the 

 world, but they are among the few elasmobranchs that are found regularly in fresh 

 water, as in Lake Nicaragua where they appear to be landlocked (pp. 39, 40). 



Sawfishes subsist chiefly on whatever small schooling fishes may be abundant 

 locally, such as mullets and the smaller members of the herring tribe; they also feed 

 to some extent on Crustacea and other bottom-dwelling inhabitants. It is for the prosaic 

 purpose of grubbing in the sand or mud in search of whatever prey they can uncover 

 that the saw is chiefly used, the tips and posterior edges of its teeth often being more 

 or less worn down in this way. They also use the saw to slash to and fro in schools of 

 fishes, thus killing or stunning the victims, much as the swordfishes, sailfishes, and 

 marlins use their swords. The sensational accounts of them as habitually attacking 



45. Thus Pliny, according to Latham (Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond., 1794: 275), speaks of "Pristes" of 200 cubits length 

 in the Indian Ocean. 



46. Whitley, Aust. Mus. Mag., 3, 1927: 23; Fish. Aust., i, 1940: 178. 



47. Norman and Fraser (Giant Fishes, 1937: 60). An account has recently appeared of the capture in Panama Bay of 

 a Sawfish said to have been 27 feet long (Mitchell-Hedges, Battles with monsters of the sea, 1937: 224-225). But 

 its saw was described as being only a little more than five feet long, suggesting that the total length of the fish was 

 overstated. 



48. Baughman (Copeia, 1943: 44), a Pristis perotteti from Texas. 



49. Norman and Fraser, Giant Fishes, 1937: 63. 



