Longnose sawshark
Encyclopedia
The longnose sawshark, Pristiophorus cirratus, also known as the Common sawshark is a sawshark
of the family
Pristiophoridae, found in the eastern Indian Ocean
around southern Australia
on the continental shelf
at depths of between 40 and 310 m. Its length is up to 1.35 m.
which measures up to thirty percent of its body size. It has barbels almost halfway up the snout and is a sandy brown color with irregular brown spots. The belly of the shark is pale while the bottom of the snout is pinkish. Its skin has tiny denticles all over it although the fins are scaly.
Sawshark
The sawsharks or saw sharks are an order of sharks bearing long blade-like snouts edged with teeth, which they use to slash and disable their prey...
of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Pristiophoridae, found in the eastern Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
around southern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on the continental shelf
Continental shelf
The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain. Much of the shelf was exposed during glacial periods, but is now submerged under relatively shallow seas and gulfs, and was similarly submerged during other interglacial periods. The continental margin,...
at depths of between 40 and 310 m. Its length is up to 1.35 m.
Appearance
The longnose sawshark is a medium sized shark. Its head is depressed. It has a saw like flattened snoutSnout
The snout, or muzzle, is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw.-Terminology:The term "muzzle", used as a noun, can be ambiguous...
which measures up to thirty percent of its body size. It has barbels almost halfway up the snout and is a sandy brown color with irregular brown spots. The belly of the shark is pale while the bottom of the snout is pinkish. Its skin has tiny denticles all over it although the fins are scaly.