Sawfish is an Amazing fish in Indian Ocean
Sawfish are giant fish in the Indian Ocean. They are huge, have “electric saw mouths”, and are powerful, making them the top predators in the ocean. However, due to human hunting and poor reproduction ability, their numbers have decreased sharply, and they need to be protected.
An old fisherman in his 70s told me: There is a giant strange fish in the Indian Ocean. They are secretive and like to hide in dark corners . They look funny and their bodies are similar to sharks. They can be up to 9 meters long and weigh more than 1,000 kilograms.
What is even more shocking is that they have a sharp “chainsaw mouth” that can be up to 2 meters long, which can cut prey in half with one strike . The lethality is extremely terrifying, and they are truly “chainsaw demons.” So, what species is this strange fish? How strong are they?
The Chainsaw Maniac in the Ocean
This giant fish is a distant relative of sharks. Its scientific name is sawfish. They are ferocious and huge in size . The average body length of an adult can reach 5 meters, the longest can reach 9 meters, and the weight can exceed 500 kilograms.
They generally live on the bottom of the nearshore and can live alternately in seawater and freshwater. They are typical warm-water benthic fish. They first appeared in the Cretaceous period and have survived on Earth for more than 50 million years. They can be called “living fossils” in the ocean.
The sawfish has a very strange appearance. It has a terrible “electric saw” on its head, 21-35 pairs of sharp horizontal teeth on both sides, and a flat “weird face” that looks very funny.
How strong is the sawfish?
1. Sawfish are strong and powerful, and are the “giants” of the near-shore waters
For marine creatures, body size is the only criterion for measuring combat power. The larger the animal, the more deterrent it is . Sawfish are the giants in the ocean, and they can completely rely on their size to “dominate” the ocean.
Moreover, sawfish are not only huge in size, but also have excellent explosive power and high muscle density. Therefore, their strength is terrifying. When they go crazy, they can turn the seabed upside down. Therefore, even great white sharks dare not provoke them easily.
It is worth mentioning that many ancient folk legends regard sawfish as “sea monsters”, believing that they are extremely powerful and can not only cut fishermen in half, but can even cut off the boats directly, making them extremely dangerous.
2. Sawfish have their own electric saws, which are extremely lethal
The sawtooth is the biggest highlight of the sawfish. Their sawtooth evolved from the upper lip and is covered with sharp triangular horizontal teeth, with up to 35 pairs in number. The whole looks like a huge “electric saw”.
The most terrifying thing is that the teeth of sawfish are not only extremely sharp, but also extremely hard and aggressive. They can easily cut off the enemy’s body , and their lethality is no less than that of cold weapons invented by humans.
Sawfish are also very domineering, even crazy. When fighting , they will swing their sharp saw teeth to continuously attack the enemy until they tear the enemy into pieces.
3. Sawfish are good at hiding and have strong hunting abilities
Sawfish are not only powerful in combat, but are also very good at sneak attacks. They have a flat head, a flat belly, and a slightly flat body . They can “lie” steadily on the seabed, or flexibly burrow into the sand, and rely on their saw teeth to detect and capture prey.
If they encounter prey, they will quickly stand up and swing the “electric saw” above their heads left and right, chopping the originally lively prey into pieces of varying sizes and finally swallowing it up.
It is worth mentioning that in addition to hunting, the sawfish’s teeth can also be used to dig underground sand and remove weeds in the water. It is extremely functional and is simply a “magic weapon”.
4. Sawfish have strong sensory abilities and can detect the electromagnetic fields of their prey
Although sawfish look cute and silly, they are actually very intelligent , with powerful detection ability and highly acute perception. It is precisely because of this advantage that they have become the top predators in the ocean.
The sawfish’s teeth can not only attack, but are also covered with sensory nerves that can act as electronic receivers. They can sensitively detect the electric field around their prey, thereby locating the prey and killing it directly.
In addition, sawfish have excellent hearing. Their auditory cells are very developed and can receive sound waves of 2068 Hz, while ordinary large carnivorous fish can only receive sound waves of 500 Hz. This shows how strong the hearing of sawfish is.
Do sawfish attack humans?
Although sawfish are ferocious and aggressive, they do not eat all animals. This is because their mouths are very small and their chewing ability is poor . Therefore, they can only prey on some small and medium-sized marine creatures, so humans are not on their menu.
Most importantly, sawfish prefer to eat prey with fewer bones and higher fat content, which is more conducive to survival in the ocean. Humans are not only large in size and have many bones, but also have very little fat, so they will not become the target of sawfish at all.
In addition, sawfish are very secretive in their whereabouts and have very few contacts with ordinary humans. To them , humans are just “weird” looking creatures. They will neither put humans on their foraging list nor attack them.
Why are sawfish populations declining so drastically?
1. Human hunting has led to a sharp decline in the number of sawfish
In fact, sawfish do not have many natural enemies, but their population has declined sharply in recent decades and is on the verge of extinction. The main reason for this result is hunting by humans.
Humans have always been very curious about the teeth of sawfishes. They have made them into souvenirs such as shark swords and sold them at prices as high as tens of thousands of yuan . This has led to the large-scale hunting of sawfishes and their numbers are decreasing.
In addition, as a cousin of sharks, sawfish fins are also top-quality shark fins, and the meat is also very delicious . The gallbladder and liver can be used as medicine. It can be said that the whole body is a treasure, so it has become an endangered species.
2. Sawfish have poor reproductive capacity
Although sawfish are good at fighting and look mighty and invincible, they are very fragile when they are young. The teeth of the sawfish are not sharp during this period, making it difficult for them to effectively attack the enemy, and they often die as a result.
Most importantly, as a large carnivorous fish, sawfish have poor reproductive capacity. They only reproduce once every 2-3 years, and their reproduction method is ovoviviparous , but they can only give birth to a dozen young fish at a time, and their survival rate is extremely low, and it is difficult for them to survive to adulthood.
However, what’s interesting is that sawfish is a type of fish that can reproduce asexually. It is also the only large vertebrate in the world that can give birth to offspring without the need for males. It is a miracle among fish.
Predators of sawfish
Killer whales are the biggest nemesis of sawfishes. As large toothed whales, they are huge in size. When adults, their body length can reach 9 meters and their weight can reach 3 tons. They are powerful and have sharp teeth. They are the most powerful animals in the ocean.
Killer whales are also social animals that like to hunt in groups. They have very high IQs and use various tactics when hunting. For example, they will use blitzkrieg when hunting great white sharks, and group fight tactics when hunting blue whales. They are very smart.
Killer whales will also attack sawfish based on their weaknesses. Because sawfish are very slow , killer whales often launch surprise attacks on them, using their speed advantage to make the sawfish spin around, and finally eat the sawfish’s liver.
In summary:
As the “chainsaw demon” in the ocean, sawfish is one of the most powerful species in the ocean and is at the top of the food chain . However, due to various reasons, its number has been extremely reduced. Therefore, we must work hard to protect sawfish and the marine environment in order to maintain species diversity.
