Wildlife Guide · Tropical and subtropical coastal waters, estuaries and rivers & Once widespread; now reduced to a fraction of their historic range

Sawfish

Family Pristidae — five species, including Pristis pristis and Pristis pectinata

A ray with a chainsaw for a face, and one of the most endangered fish groups alive.

Critically Endangered — among the most threatened marine fish on Earth

Sawfish with long toothed rostrum swimming in murky coastal water

Image: AI-generated educational wildlife portrait — World Animal Rescue Network · AI visualisation, not a photograph

In brief

Sawfish are rays with a long tooth-lined rostrum used to sense and strike prey; all five species are threatened and most are Critically Endangered, largely because the rostrum entangles in fishing nets.

By the WARN Research & Conservation TeamChecked against IUCN Red List & CITES sourcesLast updated July 2026

Sawfish are rays, not sharks, despite the shark-like body. The defining feature is the rostrum — a long flattened snout lined with tooth-like denticles, used to detect and strike prey. It is both a weapon and a sensory organ, studded with electroreceptors that detect the electrical fields of animals buried in sediment. That same rostrum is why they are disappearing. It entangles in almost any net, making sawfish exceptionally vulnerable to fisheries even where they are not targeted. All five species are threatened, and sawfish have been lost from a large share of the countries where they once occurred.

Sawfish species, all threatened

~7 m

Maximum length of the largetooth sawfish

Electroreception

The rostrum senses prey buried in sediment

Most

Range states where sawfish are now locally extinct

Figures sourced from IUCN Red List — Pristidae, CITES Appendices .

Sawfish: Quick Facts

Vital statistics and key facts about the Sawfish
Group	Rays, not sharks
Species	5, all threatened
Maximum length	~7 m (largetooth sawfish)
Rostrum	Electroreceptive; denticles are not replaced
Habitat	Coasts, estuaries and far up rivers
Trade status	CITES Appendix I

Scientific Classification

Scientific classification of the Sawfish
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Chondrichthyes
Order	Rhinopristiformes
Family	Pristidae
Genera	Pristis, Anoxypristis

Conservation Status

IUCN Status: Critically Endangered (most species)
Population: Severely reduced; locally extinct across much of the historic range
Trend: Decreasing
Assessed: 2013 onward, by species
CITES: Appendix I

Most mortality is incidental capture rather than targeted fishing, so gear modification and safe-release training are the highest-leverage interventions.

Did you know?

A sawfish's rostrum detects the electrical fields of fish buried in mud — it finds prey it cannot see, then strikes with the same organ.

Key Facts: Sawfish

Sawfish are rays, not sharks, despite the elongated body shape.
The rostrum both detects prey electrically and strikes it.
The same rostrum entangles in nets, making them exceptionally vulnerable.
All five species are threatened; most are Critically Endangered.
They have been lost from a large proportion of their historic range countries.

The rostrum

A sawfish's saw is an extension of the skull, lined along both edges with modified denticles that are not true teeth and are not replaced if broken. It is covered in ampullae of Lorenzini — the same electroreceptive organs sharks use — allowing the animal to detect prey buried in mud or moving in turbid water. In use, the sawfish sweeps or slashes the rostrum sideways to stun or impale small fish, then eats them off the seabed. It is one of the few fish structures that serves as both a sensor and a weapon.

Why nets are so lethal to them

The rostrum snags in gillnets, trawls and almost any mesh a sawfish encounters. Once entangled the animal usually cannot free itself, and fishers frequently cut the rostrum off to recover the net — which is fatal, because the animal can no longer feed. This makes sawfish vulnerable even in fisheries that have no interest in catching them, and it is the central reason for their collapse. Reducing sawfish mortality is largely about gear, handling training and safe-release protocols rather than about stopping targeted fishing.

Rivers as well as sea

Several sawfish species move far up rivers, and the largetooth sawfish has been recorded hundreds of kilometres inland in freshwater systems. That habit exposes them to a second set of pressures: river damming, water extraction, habitat modification and inland fisheries. Mangrove loss compounds it. Juvenile sawfish depend on shallow mangrove nurseries, and mangrove clearance for aquaculture and development removes the habitat the next generation needs.

A recoverable species, with effort

Sawfish are protected under CITES Appendix I, and international trade in rostra — long sold as curios — is banned. Some populations, notably in northern Australia and parts of Florida, remain viable and are the basis for recovery. What works is unglamorous: gear modification, trained safe-release, mangrove nursery protection, and paying attention to river systems as well as coasts. The species' extreme vulnerability to nets means small changes in fishing practice produce disproportionate gains.

What WARN Does

WARN publishes free, sourced species education for animals whose decline is driven by incidental capture rather than deliberate targeting. Sawfish are the clearest example in the sea: most are killed by fishers who did not want them, which makes gear and handling training the highest-leverage intervention available.

If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.

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How can I help save the sawfish?

There are three practical things that make a real difference for the sawfish — and the first is the one that funds everything else.

Fund frontline rescue

Back the partner-led teams, veterinary care and protection that reach sawfishs where the need is greatest — WARN channels donations straight to that work.

Ease the pressures

Avoid the wildlife trade and souvenirs, never buy wild animals as pets, and choose sustainable, habitat-friendly products — the threats behind the sawfish's decline fall when demand does.

Spread the word

Share accurate, sourced information about the sawfish. Wider awareness is what turns concern into lasting protection.

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Sawfish: Frequently Asked Questions

How can I help save the sawfish?

The most effective way to help the sawfish is to fund the frontline rescue and habitat protection that keeps the species alive — WARN channels donations to partner-led teams working where the need is greatest. You can also ease the pressures behind its decline by avoiding the wildlife trade and souvenirs, never buying wild animals as pets, and choosing sustainable products, and by sharing accurate information to build wider support. See the ways to help below, or support WARN's Support Habitat Protection.

Are sawfish sharks?

No, they are rays. Despite the elongated shark-like body, sawfish belong to the family Pristidae within the rays, with gill slits on the underside of the body as rays have rather than on the sides as sharks do.

What is a sawfish's saw for?

Both sensing and striking. The rostrum is covered in electroreceptors that detect prey buried in sediment or moving in murky water, and the sawfish then sweeps it sideways to stun or impale small fish.

Why are sawfish so endangered?

The rostrum entangles in almost any net, so sawfish are caught even in fisheries that do not target them, and entangled animals often have the rostrum cut off to free the gear, which is fatal. Mangrove nursery loss and river modification compound it. All five species are threatened.

Do sawfish live in rivers?

Yes, several species do. The largetooth sawfish has been recorded hundreds of kilometres up rivers in fresh water, which exposes it to damming, water extraction and inland fisheries as well as coastal pressures.

What do sawfish eat?

Sawfish eat 5 — Sawfish species, all threatened. Sawfish are rays with a long tooth-lined rostrum used to sense and strike prey; all five species are threatened and most are Critically Endangered, largely because the rostrum entangles in fishing nets.

Where do sawfish live?

Sawfish live in Coasts, estuaries and far up rivers. Sawfish are rays with a long tooth-lined rostrum used to sense and strike prey; all five species are threatened and most are Critically Endangered, largely because the rostrum entangles in fishing nets.

Are sawfish dangerous?

Sawfish are not generally dangerous to people. Sawfish are rays with a long tooth-lined rostrum used to sense and strike prey; all five species are threatened and most are Critically Endangered, largely because the rostrum entangles in fishing nets. Give wild individuals space and do not corner or handle them.

How long do sawfish live?

A precise wild lifespan for sawfish is not firmly established in the sources cited on this guide. Sawfish are rays with a long tooth-lined rostrum used to sense and strike prey; all five species are threatened and most are Critically Endangered, largely because the rostrum entangles in fishing nets. Where longevity figures appear in the literature they vary by region, sex and whether animals are wild or captive.

How big is a sawfish?

A Sawfish is about ~7 m (largetooth sawfish). Sawfish are rays with a long tooth-lined rostrum used to sense and strike prey; all five species are threatened and most are Critically Endangered, largely because the rostrum entangles in fishing nets. Conservation status: CITES Appendix I.

Sources & References

Population figures, conservation status and biological facts on this page are drawn from authoritative scientific and intergovernmental sources.

Terms used on this page

Plain-English definitions, from our wildlife and conservation glossary.

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