So- speaking of birth rate- doesn't that nose get in the way of romance? Well, yes. It does. Sawfish must be very gentle in mating. Sawfishes live approximately 25 years and reaches sexual maturity at about 10 years. They mate like rays and sharks do. The male catches the scent of a female and pursues her. If she is willing, she will allow him to attach his mouth to her pectoral fin (this is like holding hands). He will flip her over, mate with her, and swim away. Sawfish don't mate for life, but like sharks and rays, the female sawfish does prefer one male to another. The female sawfish will carry the fertilized "eggs" in its uterus until they are ready to hatch. One baby sawfish grows in each leathery pouch commonly called an "egg". In the "egg" with the baby sawfish is a yolk sac, connected to the baby sawfish by a yolk stalk. This is the food the baby sawfish will digest while growing in the "egg". When the baby sawfish is ready to be born, about five months later for a Largetooth sawfish, the baby sawfish breaks out of the "egg" and leaves the mother. The baby sawfish will have a rubbery tissue covering their teeth. This protects their new teeth and keeps the mother from being injured by the teeth of the baby sawfishes during birth. A litter of Largetooth sawfish may have as many as 20 babies, or as few as 8 babies. The mother does not care for her babies. Once born, they are out in the water and on their own. Shortly after birth, the baby sawfish will lose the rubbery tissue on its teeth and the sawfish will begin to hunt small fish, crabs, and other crustaceans. A baby sawfish is about 2.5 feet long when born, and can grow to 23 feet at maturity.
Next month: another talented fish-Flying Fish. See you then!
The copyright of the article Sea Creatures 101: Talented Fish: Sawfish in Aquatic Animals is owned by Sharon Rorem. Permission to republish Sea Creatures 101: Talented Fish: Sawfish in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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