Freshwater Sawfish

In order to hunt and self-defend, Sawfish has its own special “weapon” – a “saw” at the front of its head, which it uses to attack its prey under the muddy river bed. In Australia, the Freshwater Sawfish lives in the upper reaches of estuaries and in the northern rivers up to 100km from the sea. There are two other species of sawfish that live in the sea but which also enter the rivers in Australia. The Marine Saw shark should not be confused with the fresh water Sawfish, which is smaller in size and has two stiff bristles on its saw snout.