Largetooth sawfish. (Pristis pristis) Okay so bear with me on this one.  I find it very ha

Largetooth sawfish. (Pristis pristis)

Okay so bear with me on this one. 

I find it very hard to take these animals seriously a lot of the time; I know from above they’re really impressive and “scary” and like WOAH DUDE. But the second you see them from below…

They’re all like OH HEY NEIGHBOUR HOW’S IT GOING I BROUGHT TACOS!

I mean, seriously guys. Just look at that face. Look at the wave.

I feel like he should be called Herman, or something.

Anyway, back to the post, (incase you hadn’t noticed) the largetooth sawfish gets its name from its long, flattened, snout, covered in a series of long, thin teeth. This may measure up to a fifth of the total length. 

Sawfish are classed in the same group as sharks, skates and rays (the elasmobranchs), and despite their appearance, are actually more closely related to rays than sharks, having their gills located on the underside of the body and not on the sides.

Sawfish generally feed on small schooling fish, but are also reported to feed on crustaceans and other bottom-dwelling animals. They attack fish by slashing their ‘saw’ sideways through schools, impaling fish on their teeth (not so friendly now…).

The largetooth sawfish is found in the tropical eastern Pacific, from the Gulf of California to Ecuador; the western Atlantic, from Florida to Brazil; and the eastern Atlantic, from Portugal to Angola. It is classified as critically endangered.

Images:Baltimore National Aquarium