Smalltooth Sawfish

Juvenile smalltooth sawfish habitats differ from adult habitats. Juveniles inhabit coastal areas such as estuaries, river mouths, and bays year-round. They have been recorded from a variety of habitat types including un-vegetated mud and sand bottoms, especially along red mangrove shorelines. Also, juveniles use creeks and canals that connect to the main stem of rivers as habitat. (Poulakis et al. 2010, 2011). Potential habitat includes waters under docks, bridges, and piers. Juveniles typically inhabit salinities between 18 and 30 parts per thousand (PPT) (the ocean is 35), sometimes miles up rivers (Poulakis et al. 2010, 2011; Simpfendorfer et al. 2011). Adult smalltooth sawfish are typically found in open water habitats, but have been encountered near coral reefs and occur inshore during the spring when females give birth and mating is thought to occur. Of seven species of sawfish found worldwide, the only species found in Florida waters is the smalltooth sawfish. Although the historical range of this species extended from the U.S. down to Brazil, all life stages of smalltooth sawfish are found primarily from Charlotte Harbor, Florida to the Florida Keys (Seitz and Poulakis 2002; Poulakis and Seitz 2004, Mote Marine Laboratory Database).

Little is known about what the smalltooth sawfish feeds on. Their diet is thought to consist of crabs, shrimp, small fish, and other bottom-dwelling organisms (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953). The saw is used to slash at prey in the water column and to dislodge prey from bottom-dwelling habitats. Pregnant females give birth in estuarine nursery areas primarily during April and May (Poulakis et al. 2011). Fertilization is internal and up to 20 embryos mature inside the mother with no placental connection. The reproductive cycle length of the smalltooth sawfish is not known. Smalltooth sawfish are born with fully-calcified rostral teeth that are covered by a protective sheath, which prevents the mother from being injured during birth. The sheath disappears and exposes the rostral teeth after about two weeks (Poulakis et al. 2011). Sexual maturity is reached at about four to five years of age for males; it takes longer for females but the rate is not exactly known (Simpfendorfer et al. 2008).