Geographic Range
Pristiophorus cirratus
is found in the waters around southern Australia’s outer continental shelf, and is
endemic to that region. This includes the eastern portion of the Indian Ocean and
the southwest portion of the Pacific Ocean. They are found in the area described by
the latitudes 20° to 41° south and longitude 112° to 150° east.
- Biogeographic Regions
- indian ocean
- pacific ocean
Habitat
Longnose sawsharks prefer a variety of marine habitats including the open sea and
coastal regions. They are typically found at depths below 40 meters.
- Habitat Regions
- tropical
- saltwater or marine
Physical Description
Pristiophorus cirratus
is characterized by a long, thin, and flattened snout. The snout is lined with alternating
long and short teeth. Unusual nasal barbels protrude about halfway down the snout.
Near the barbels are the ampullae of Lorenzini, which are specialized organs for detecting
electrical fields. Two dorsal fins are present, with the second being slightly smaller
than the first. They lack an anal fin. Five gill slits are present on each side
of the head, while most sawsharks have gills on the bottom of the head. The upper
body is a blotchy combination of dull yellow, grey, and brown.
- Other Physical Features
- ectothermic
- heterothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- female larger
Development
Longnose sawsharks are born in litters of 3 to 22 individuals. They are born with
their teeth folded back, which mostly likely is an adaptation to prevent possible
injury to the mother during the birthing process. The teeth straighten shortly after
birth. Sawsharks are born fully developed, looking like smaller versions of adults.
Newborn sawsharks are generally 31 to 34 cm in length. Sawsharks do not undergo a
metamorphosis and exhibit determinate growth.
Reproduction
Longnose sawsharks breed seasonally. It is unknown if they are monogamous or promiscuous. It is unknown what affect mating behavior has on social structure.
Longnose sawsharks breed once every two years, and most breeding occurs in coastal
areas. Each breeding season yields an average of 10 young (range of 3 to 22). The
gestation period for longnose sawsharks is approximately 12 months. Longnose sawsharks
are ovoviviparous, meaning that the eggs develop within the mother's body and then
hatch within the mother before they are released.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- fertilization
- ovoviviparous
In the pre-birth stage, while the young are still within the womb, nourishment and provisioning are provided by the mother. In the post-birth stage, the parents provide food and protection. The exact duration of parental investment is unknown, but it is complete before the individual's next breeding season.
- Parental Investment
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
- protecting
-
provisioning
-
pre-weaning/fledging
- provisioning
- protecting
Lifespan/Longevity
Longnose sawsharks have been known to survive for up to 15 years in the wild. Lifespan
in the wild is often limited by trawl fishing.
Behavior
Longnose sawsharks are motile. Little is known about their social structure, but they
do form schools. A notable behavior of longnose sawsharks is the use of their snouts
(lined with sharp teeth) to side-swipe their prey. Longnose sawsharks are generally
sedentary.
- Key Behaviors
- natatorial
- motile
- sedentary
- solitary
Home Range
Longnose sawsharks do not travel extended distances. Even if travelling to breed,
their home range rarely exceeds 100 square kilometers.
Communication and Perception
Longnose sawsharks communicate using sight, touch, and electric signals. They perceive
their environment with mediocre eyesight, use their barbels to touch the ocean floor,
and use their ampullae to sense electrical fields. They communicate with other animals
visually and use their barbels and ampullae when searching for prey.
Food Habits
Longnose sawsharks feed on bony fish ,including cornet fishes ( Fistularia ), shrimp , small squids , and various crustaceans . Longnose sawsharks uses their barbels and snout to detect prey on the ocean floor, and then immobilize their prey by hitting it with a side-swipe of their snout, which is lined with sharp teeth.
- Primary Diet
-
carnivore
- piscivore
- eats non-insect arthropods
- molluscivore
- Animal Foods
- fish
- mollusks
- aquatic crustaceans
Predation
The main anti-predator adaptation of longnose sawsharks is their coloration. Their
blotchy grey and brown markings help them blend in with the ocean floor. Human beings
are the main predator of longnose sawsharks, although larger sharks are occasional
predators. Humans have severely damaged shark populations due to commercial fishing.
- Anti-predator Adaptations
- cryptic
Ecosystem Roles
Longnose sawsharks are not a keystone species, although their absence would have an impact on creatures living on the ocean floor because they serve as prey for longnose sawsharks. Longnose sawsharks often serve as hosts for tetraphyllidean tapeworms.
- Tetraphyllidean tapeworms ( Tetraphyllidea )
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Longnose sawsharks are commercially fished for their high-quality meat.
- Positive Impacts
- food
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Longnose sawsharks have no adverse economic impact on humans.
- Negative Impacts
-
injures humans
- bites or stings
Conservation Status
Effective efforts have been made to protect longnose sawsharks. Commercial fishing
of longnose sawsharks has been reduced due to the implementation of a Total Allowable
Catch rule. Also, a three mile stretch of Victorian waters have been closed to all
shark fishing, which provides some safe habitat for longnose sawsharks.
Additional Links
Contributors
Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web.
Daniel Krcmaric (author), University of Notre Dame, Karen Powers (editor, instructor), Radford University.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- Pacific Ocean
-
body of water between the southern ocean (above 60 degrees south latitude), Australia, Asia, and the western hemisphere. This is the world's largest ocean, covering about 28% of the world's surface.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- saltwater or marine
-
mainly lives in oceans, seas, or other bodies of salt water.
- pelagic
-
An aquatic biome consisting of the open ocean, far from land, does not include sea bottom (benthic zone).
- benthic
-
Referring to an animal that lives on or near the bottom of a body of water. Also an aquatic biome consisting of the ocean bottom below the pelagic and coastal zones. Bottom habitats in the very deepest oceans (below 9000 m) are sometimes referred to as the abyssal zone. see also oceanic vent.
- coastal
-
the nearshore aquatic habitats near a coast, or shoreline.
- ectothermic
-
animals which must use heat acquired from the environment and behavioral adaptations to regulate body temperature
- heterothermic
-
having a body temperature that fluctuates with that of the immediate environment; having no mechanism or a poorly developed mechanism for regulating internal body temperature.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- fertilization
-
union of egg and spermatozoan
- internal fertilization
-
fertilization takes place within the female's body
- ovoviviparous
-
reproduction in which eggs develop within the maternal body without additional nourishment from the parent and hatch within the parent or immediately after laying.
- natatorial
-
specialized for swimming
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- sedentary
-
remains in the same area
- solitary
-
lives alone
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- electric
-
uses electric signals to communicate
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- electric
-
uses electric signals to communicate
- cryptic
-
having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.
- food
-
A substance that provides both nutrients and energy to a living thing.
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
- piscivore
-
an animal that mainly eats fish
- molluscivore
-
eats mollusks, members of Phylum Mollusca
References
Compagno, L. 2006. " Pristiophorus cirratus Longnose Sawshark" (On-line). Accessed February 27, 2006 at http://filaman-.ifm-geomar.de/summary/speciessummary.php?id=721 .
Cropp, B. 1964. Shark Hunters . New York: The Macmillan Company.
Fisheries Global Information System, 2006. "Fisheries Global Information System" (On-line). Accessed February 27, 2006 at http://www.fao.org/figis/servelt?Firefservlet .
Hilton-Taylor, C. 2006. "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species" (On-line). Accessed February 27, 2006 at http://redlist.org/search/details.php?species=39327 .
Martin, A. 2006. "Order Pristiophoriformes: Sawsharks- 8 Species" (On-line). Accessed February 27, 2006 at http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/sharkprofile/pristiophoroformes.htm .
The British Library, 1999. "Southern Australian Shark Fishery Management" (On-line). Accessed February 27, 2006 at www.bl.uk/services/document/edd.html .
Walker, T. 1999. Southern Australian Shark Fishery Management. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper , 378: 48.
Wikipedia, 2006. "Sawshark" (On-line). Accessed March 23, 2006 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sawshark .