Page 170 - (DK) Super Shark Encyclopedia: And Other Creatures of the Deep

SENSORY WEAPON

SAWSHARK

An effective hunter needs to have an advantage over STATS AND FACTS
its prey, such as excellent predatory senses or a vicious
weapon. The sawshark has both. Its snout is drawn out LENGTH OF “SAW”
into a long, sawlike beak, equipped with sensitive skin The “saw” of a in 5 10 15
sawshark is actually
and feelers for probing its surroundings. When the an extension of its cm 10 20 30 40
snout. The skin is
sawshark senses a small fish or crab on the muddy covered with the 4¾–14 in (12–35 cm)
ocean floor, it slashes from side to side until the same kinds of sensory
pores that are found LENGTH OF FEELERS
teeth on its beak cripple the prey. on the snouts of
in 2 4 6
other types of sharks.
cm 5 10 15 20

AT A GLANCE 2¼–6¼ in (6–16 cm)
SWIMMING DEPTH 3,280 ft/1,000 m (max.
for Bahamas sawshark)
ft 1,000 2,000 3,000

300
600
8 0 m up to 130 ft/40 m (usual) 900 1,200
MAX. TEETH ON SAW

• SIZE 24–67 in (62–170 cm) long

• HABITAT Coastal ocean waters, usually
near the sea floor
• LOCATION Bahamas, southern Africa, and
western Pacific from Japan to Australia
• DIET Small fish, crabs, squid, and shrimp Snout extends
into long
beaklike “saw”

Feeling for food
The sensory feelers that hang down from either
Barbel, or feeler,
Sideways is sensitive to side of a sawshark’s snout are sensitive to touch
pointing teeth touch and taste and pressure. They can even taste the presence
for slashing prey of prey in the mud and sand on the ocean floor.

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