Shark Fact of the Day – 8/4/2010

There are two separate groups of fish that have a “saw blade” like appendage extending from their nose. One is the sawsharks, which as their name suggests, are basically sharks with a saw for a nose. The sawfish, which look very similar to the sawsharks and possess a similar saw-shaped rostrum, are actually more closely related to stingrays. The sawfish have gill openings on their underside and not much distinction between their fins and body. The sawsharks have gill openings on their sides, barbels on their snouts, and fins that are far more distinguished. The differences are subtle, but they are what separate one group from another.