Narrow-tooth saw ray
| Narrow-tooth saw ray | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pristis pectinata (young animal) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Pristis pectinata | ||||||||||||
| ( Latham , 1794) |
The narrow-tooth sawfish ( Pristis pectinata , sometimes Western sawfish ) is a kind from the family of the sawfish . The fish live around the world in most subtropical and tropical waters between 44 ° N and 37 ° S near the coast or in river mouths . There is evidence of the species from the coast of North Carolina , Bermuda , the Caribbean and the northern Gulf of Mexico to Argentina. In the eastern Atlantic it occurs from Gibraltar to Namibia , in the Indo-Pacific from East Africa to the Philippines . He also lives in the Red Sea . Occurrences in the Mediterranean and the Eastern Pacific are possible.
features
Like all sawfish, the narrow-tooth sawfish has a shark-like body with a flattened front body and head. The animals usually reach a length of up to 5.5 meters. The highest reported dimensions are 7.6 meters in length and 350 kilograms in weight. The muzzle is long, flat and sword-shaped, making up about a quarter of the total length. Almost its entire length is covered with 24 to 34 slender teeth on each side at approximately equal intervals, which have a furrow on the back. The two dorsal fins are large and pointed and both about the same size. The pectoral fins have a broad base and a straight rear edge. The pelvic fins start at the same level as the front dorsal fin. The caudal fin has an almost straight rear edge without a pronounced lower lobe. The back side of the animals is mouse-gray to black-brown with paler fins. The belly is white, white-gray, or pale yellow.
Way of life
The fish live in shallow water near the coast, but can swim through deeper sea zones to reach islands. Some of them also migrate into rivers and tolerate fresh water . The narrow-tooth saw ray feeds on smaller fish, crustaceans and mussels . They often use their swords to dig up the bottom of the water in search of food or to kill prey fish.
Reproduction
Like all sawfish, Pristis pectinata is ovoviviparous . If there is a lack of sexual partners, the females can reproduce via parthenogenesis .
proof
- ↑ Narrow-tooth saw ray on Fishbase.org (English)
- ^ Colin A. Simpfendorfer: Threatened fishes of the world: Pristis pectinata Latham, 1794 (Pristidae) . In: Environmental Biology of Fishes . tape 73 , 2005, pp. 20 (English, metapress.com [PDF]).
- ↑ Smalltooth Sawfish at the Florida Museum of Natural History
- ↑ maiden births "at sawfishing scinexx.de
Web links
- Narrow-tooth saw ray on Fishbase.org (English)
- Pristis pectinata at the IUCN 2008 Redlist (English)