Sawfish vs Sawshark for Kids
Sawfish and sawsharks are a spectacular example of convergent evolution: two different cartilaginous-fish lineages independently evolved long tooth-edged snouts. This page uses the largetooth sawfish, Pristis pristis, and longnose sawshark, Pristiophorus cirratus. The sawfish is a huge, broad ray with gill slits underneath and no rostral barbels. The sawshark is a much smaller, slender shark with side gills, two barbels, and alternating large and small saw teeth.
Largetooth Sawfish
- Type: Huge Coastal and River-Entering Ray
- Group: Living species Pristis pristis in sawfish family Pristidae, a ray lineage rather than a true shark
- Known for: Broad flattened ray body, wing-like pectoral fins, gill slits underneath, long tooth-studded rostrum without barbels, electroreception, fresh-and-saltwater travel, and critically endangered status
- Diet: Carnivore eating fishes, prawns, shrimp, crabs, and other bottom or schooling animals located with the rostrum
- Special skill: Using an electroreceptor-covered saw as a broad search antenna, then sweeping or pinning prey while the mouth and gills remain on the underside
Longnose Sawshark
- Type: Small Slender Deep-Water Shark
- Group: Living species Pristiophorus cirratus in sawshark family Pristiophoridae and shark order Pristiophoriformes
- Known for: Slender shark body, five gill slits on each side, long narrow saw with alternating tooth sizes, a pair of sensory barbels, bottom hunting, Australian range, and live-bearing reproduction
- Diet: Carnivore eating small fishes, crustaceans, squid, and other bottom animals detected in or above sediment
- Special skill: Sweeping paired barbels over the seabed to sense hidden food, then using a flexible narrow saw with alternating teeth to expose or disable small prey
Quick Answer
Quick answer: A sawfish is a ray with a broad flattened body, wing-like pectoral fins, mouth and five gill slits underneath, and a wide saw without barbels. A sawshark is a slender shark with gill slits on the sides, two feeler-like barbels halfway along a narrower saw, and rostral teeth of alternating sizes. The largetooth sawfish can exceed 6 metres; the longnose sawshark reaches only about 1.5 metres.
Largetooth Sawfish vs Longnose Sawshark: Quick Comparison
| Feature | Largetooth Sawfish | Longnose Sawshark |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific identity | Pristis pristis, a ray | Pristiophorus cirratus, a shark |
| Maximum size | Reliable records around 6-7 metres | About 1.4-1.5 metres |
| Body shape | Broad and flattened with wing-like pectoral fins joined to the head | Slender shark body with separate triangular pectoral fins |
| Gill position | Five pairs underneath the head | Five pairs on the sides of the head |
| Saw shape | Broad and relatively stiff with similar-sized side teeth | Narrower and more flexible with alternating large and small teeth |
| Rostral barbels | Absent | One long pair partway along the saw |
| Typical habitat | Shallow tropical coasts, estuaries, and rivers | Temperate Australian shelf and slope, mostly deeper marine water |
| Prey detection | Electroreceptor-rich rostrum scans bottom and water column | Electroreception plus tactile and chemical sensing through barbels |
| Conservation | Critically endangered and highly vulnerable to entanglement | Least Concern under current assessment, though taken as bycatch |
| Standout birth feature | Flexible saw enclosed in a thick gelatinous sheath | Rostral structures protected before live birth |
How Are Sawfish and Sawsharks Alike?
- Both are cartilaginous fishes with skeletons made mainly of cartilage rather than true bone.
- Both independently evolved a long rostrum edged with tooth-like dermal denticles.
- Both carry electroreceptors that detect tiny electrical fields produced by hidden animals.
- Both sweep or position the rostrum to locate, uncover, strike, or control fishes and invertebrates.
- Both reproduce by internal fertilisation and give birth to live pups whose rostral structures are protected before birth.
How Are Sawfish and Sawsharks Different?
- The sawfish is a ray with a flattened body and underside gills, while the sawshark is a shark with a slender body and side gills.
- The largetooth sawfish grows several times longer and vastly heavier than the longnose sawshark.
- The sawfish has no barbels on its saw, while the sawshark carries one long sensory pair.
- The sawfish’s rostral teeth are broadly similar in size, while the sawshark alternates larger teeth with smaller ones.
- The largetooth sawfish uses shallow tropical seas and rivers, while the longnose sawshark lives in cooler Australian marine shelf and slope waters.
Sawfish vs Sawshark Showdown
Adaptation showdown: Largetooth sawfish wins size because reliable records reach roughly 6-7 metres, far beyond the longnose sawshark’s approximately 1.5 metres. Speed is tied because neither has a fair measured race. Largetooth sawfish wins absolute strength through its vastly larger body and broad rostrum, though the sawshark’s flexible saw is better suited to its smaller prey. Stealth is tied because both detect hidden food but use different depths and hunting tools. Social behaviour is tied because both are mainly solitary and field evidence is limited. Swimming is tied because a broad ray and slender shark solve different manoeuvring tasks without matched tests. Largetooth sawfish wins weirdest because each pup develops a complete saw before birth, yet it remains flexible and wrapped in a thick gelatinous sheath that protects the mother until after delivery.
Fun Sawfish vs Sawshark Facts
A Sawfish Is a Ray, Not a Shark
Sawfish belong to the ray branch of cartilaginous fishes. Their broad pectoral fins merge with the head and their gill slits lie underneath, while a sawshark keeps the slender outline and side gills of a shark.
The Two Saws Evolved Independently
Sawfish and sawsharks are not close twins. Similar hunting problems favoured similar tooth-edged rostra in separate ray and shark lineages, a pattern scientists call convergent evolution.
The Saw Is Also an Electrical Antenna
Tiny ampullary pores cover the sawfish rostrum. Experiments show that its stretched shape expands the electroreceptive search area and helps detect both bottom-dwelling and free-swimming prey.
Sawsharks Carry Feelers on Their Saws
A longnose sawshark has one barbel on each side of its rostrum. These flexible feelers help examine sand and gravel, giving the shark tactile and chemical clues that a sawfish lacks.
A Newborn Sawfish Arrives with a Wrapped Saw
Largetooth sawfish pups are born live with the rostrum and rostral teeth already developed. The saw is flexible and covered in thick gelatinous material, which soon dissolves after birth.
Sawfish vs Sawshark Quiz
- Which animal is a ray? Answer: The sawfish.
- Where are a sawshark’s gill slits? Answer: On the sides of its head.
- Which animal has a pair of barbels on its saw? Answer: The sawshark.
- What sense lets both animals detect tiny electric fields? Answer: Electroreception.
- How is a largetooth sawfish pup’s saw protected at birth? Answer: It is flexible and covered by a thick gelatinous sheath.
Sawfish vs Sawshark FAQ
Is a sawfish a shark?
No. A sawfish is a ray. Its broad pectoral fins join the head, and its gill slits are underneath the body.
How can you tell a sawfish from a sawshark?
Look for body shape, gills, and barbels. Sawfish are broad rays with underside gills and no rostral barbels; sawsharks are slender sharks with side gills and a barbel pair on the saw.
Which is bigger, a sawfish or a sawshark?
The largetooth sawfish is much bigger, reaching roughly 6-7 metres in reliable records. The longnose sawshark reaches about 1.4-1.5 metres.
Are the teeth on the saw real mouth teeth?
No. The side projections are enlarged dermal denticles called rostral teeth. The true feeding teeth sit inside the mouth.
Do sawfish and sawsharks attack people?
They normally use their rostra for finding and handling prey, not hunting humans. Any large wild fish should still be left alone, and sawfish deserve special protection.
Animal Words to Know
- Rostrum: A projecting snout; in these fishes it forms the long saw.
- Dermal denticle: A tooth-like structure produced by skin tissue.
- Barbel: A flexible sensory feeler near a fish’s mouth or snout.
- Electroreception: The ability to detect weak electric fields made by living things.
- Convergent evolution: Similar traits evolving independently in different lineages facing similar challenges.
Solve the Mystery Saw Identification Grid
Solve the Mystery Saw Identification Grid
Draw a largetooth sawfish and a longnose sawshark from above and below. Give the sawfish a very broad flattened body, wing-like fins joined to its head, underside mouth and gills, broad tooth-edged saw, and no barbels. Give the sawshark a much smaller slender shark body, side gills, separate pectoral fins, narrow saw with alternating tooth sizes, and two long barbels. Add arrows for ray, shark, rostrum, dermal denticles, electroreceptors, tropical shallows, deep Australian shelf, and live pups.
Meet Each Animal
Want the full fact file? Here are quick highlights from each animal’s own facts page.
Largetooth Sawfish Fact Highlight
From the full animal facts pageLongnose Sawshark Fact Highlight
From the full animal facts pageMore Animal Comparisons
Pick another animal matchup and keep exploring. Tiny facts, big questions, very serious animal business.
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