Species: Pristis pristis, Largetooth Sawfish

Pristis pristis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Largetooth Sawfish
Body depressed at front, shark-like; head, pectorals and front of body in a large diamond shaped disc, ending in an elongate, flattened snout equipped with a row of 17-20 large, flattened teeth along each side; eyes and spiracles on top of head; mouth wide, underneath; gills under head; 2 large, shark-like, widely separated dorsal fins, origin of first dorsal fin well before pelvic fin origin; pectorals triangular, attached to rear of head; no anal fin; tail large, stout, fin broad, with a small lower lobe; body covered with flat denticles.
Dark grey to golden brown, whitish on ventral surface; specimens in freshwater are pale grey.
Grows to about 656 cm and estimated weight of 590 kg.
Inhabits shallow bays and estuaries, also entering rivers.
Depth: 1-26 m.
Probably only found in the east and west Atlantic; the Gulf of Mexico to Brazil.

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- Salinity
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- Brackish
- Freshwater
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
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- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- Beach
- Estuary
- Freshwater
- Mud
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
-
- Data
- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Egg Type
-
- Data
- Live birth
- No pelagic larva
- No pelagic phase
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Transatlantic (East+West Atlantic)
- Regional Endemism
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- Also in Brazil
- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- Continental primarily
- Extends South of GC
- GC non-endemic
- Island (s)
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Critically endangered
- Listed
- CITES
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- Appendix I
- Listed
- Length Max
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- 656
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 26