Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 134, February 2016, pp. 1-44. | Page 28

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covered with tiny dermal denticles that give the fish a rough texture. Sawfish are
usually light grey or brown; the smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata, appears
olive green (Wikipedia).
Like other elasmobranchs, sawfish lack a swim bladder and use a large, oil-filled
liver to control buoyancy. Their skeleton is made of cartilage (Wikipedia).
The eyes of the sawfish are underdeveloped due to their muddy habitats. The
rostrum is the main sensory device (Wikipedia).
Their small intestines contain an internal partition shaped like a corkscrew,
called a spiral valve, whic h increases the surface area available for food
absorption (Wikipedia).
The smallest sawfish is the dwarf sawfish (P. clavata), which grows to 1.4 m
(4.6 feet), much smaller than the others. The largest species seem to be the largetooth sawfish (P. microdon), the Leichhardt's sawfish (P. perotteti), and the
common sawfish (P. pristis), which can all reach about 7 m (23 ft) in length. One
southern sawfish was recorded as weighing 2,455 kg (5,412 lb). Such massive
specimens that survive long enough to approach their maximum size and age are
believed to have lifespans of about 51 years (Wikipedia).

Taxonomy and Species
The taxonomy of the sawfish family Pristidae has been described as chaotic, with
uncertainty as to the true number of valid species. It contains two genera
grouped by similar visual characteristics. The genus Anoxypristis contains one
species (A. cuspidata) and the genus Pristis contains from four to six species.
Pristis has been divided into two groups, commonly referred to as smalltooths
and largetooths (Wikipedia).
Smalltooths: The Pristis pectinata species complex (P. clavata, P. pectinata and P.
zijsron).
Largetooths: the Pristis pristis species complex (P. microdon, P. perotteti and P.
pristis) is in need of in-depth taxonomic review. It is possible, for example, that P.
microdon and P. perottetimay not be distinct species, but may rather be subspecies,
or perhaps geographically distinct subpopulations of a single circumtropical
species (Wikipedia).

Culture Perception
Sawfish are a powerful symbol in many cultures. The Aztecs revered sawfish as
an "earth monster". Its rostrum is used by some Asian shamans for exorcisms
and other ceremonies to repel demons and disease, which has contributed to its
decline. The sawfish also notably served as the emblem of the German
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 134 – February 2016