Usual sawing fish

That Usual sawing fish (Pristis pristis), also Sword shark or Sawing skate called, is one Kind from that Putting above that Skate.

There to catch sawing fish with difficulty, to observe or in shank hold are, represent they in the underwater world still a secret.

Expresses characteristics

As the relatives Sharks the sawing fish has in Cartilage skeleton, a large Dorsal fin and its Skin is with fine Shed covered, those Dentikeln are called. The sawing fish has like other skates a flat body with a black white lower surface. It can become meters long up to 5 and weigh a ton.

The most remarkable characteristic of the sawing fish is its saw, a flat long sword, equipped with sharp sheds at both sides. This "saw" constitutes about 25 per cent of the total body length of the animal. It serves both for the attack and for the defense. A saw has 12 - 30 pairs of sheds, those the teeth represent. The saw teeth grow, also after abort, constantly after.

Another interesting characteristic of the sawing fish and other skate are the blowholes behind the eyes. These organs look like ears, serve however for sucking in water. The water is then discharged by the Kiemen on the lower surface of the sawing fish again. Since the eyes and blowholes on the top side are, the sawing fish can still see lying in the mud and breathe also.

Behavior

The sawing fish nourishes itself of small Fish, Cancers, Crabs and other small eddyless animals, on the bottom of the sea live. With its saw he discovers his booty and attacks her. The saw can notice electrical impulses and movements and recognize so the heart impact of covered eddyless animals and the movements of by-swimming fish. If the booty is buried in the mud, the saw is used as rake and the booty is opened. If the sawing fish attacks a fischschwarm, the saw is used as weapon and and swung. The sawing fish can eat then the hurt fish unimpaired, by grinding it with the mouth, before it as a whole to be swallowed.

Differently than other fish it can between Sweet and Seawater at will change. Females must visit even fresh water, if it as ovovivipare Fish living boy bear. Sawing fish are at coasts, Flussmuendungen, Bays and rivers of tropical and subtropical waters in the whole world resident. Although they can survive in so many habitats, sawing fish became nowadays rare. They are hunted as souvenir and for allegedly medical purposes. Sawing fish are killed however more frequently from coincidence, since they get caught in nets, for other fish and sea animals were meant. If the teeth of the sawing fish get caught in the net, cannot they any longer escape.