| Common sawfish | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Order: | Pristiformes |
| Family: | Pristidae |
| Genus: | Pristis |
| Species: | P. pristis |
| Binomial name | |
| Pristis pristis (Linnaeus, 1758) |
|
The common sawfish, Pristis pristis, is a sawfish of the family Pristidae, found in tropical and subtropical parts of the Atlantic, Mediterranean, eastern Pacific and in northern Australia.[1] As suggested by its name, it was once plentiful, but has now declined drastically leading to it being considered a critically endangered species by the IUCN.[1] Its maximum length is 7.5 metres (25 ft), though 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) is more common.[2] Reproduction is ovoviviparous. Its taxonomy remains unresolved, and it forms a species complex together with P. microdon and P. perotteti.