Sawfish

Depth: 120 m · Sunlight Zone

The sawfish is not a shark at all but a flat ray with a long saw full of teeth. With it the fish detects prey in the sand and strikes it out of the school in a flash. The saw is full of tiny sensors that feel electric fields.

For scientists

The rostrum of the sawfish is studded with electrosensitive pores (ampullae of Lorenzini) and lined with tooth-like structures on the sides; it locates prey and slashes sideways into it. Sawfish are live-bearing, and the young are born with a soft sheath over the saw so they do not injure the mother. All species are now severely endangered.

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