See the Sawfish

Have you ever seen those animated cartoons where a sawfish was on the prod and decided to use its rostrum (nose-like thing) to saw through a boat? I reckon most readers know that such a thing cannot happen, even though the rostrum is an efficient tool and even a weapon for it. Those things that look like teeth are actually modified scales, but they also have teeth in their mouths where teeth belong. Notice the resemblance to sharks? They are distant cousins, but more closely related to rays.

Green sawfish image credit: Wikimedia Commons / Flavia Brandi (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Of course, evolutionists give these critters millions of Darwin years. Cretaceous and modern sawfish have no appreciable differences, and we are told that they both evolved from the guitarfish. As is so often the case, there is no actual evidence to support the narrative. In fact, the sawfish has amazing features given to it by the Master Designer (such as live birth instead of laying eggs) that Darwin's disciples cannot explain through their belief system.

It is not hard to tell where the sawfish gets its name—the long snout (‘rostrum’) covered with tooth-like ‘denticles’ is one of its most distinctive features. And it is not only for show; it is a dangerous weapon, both to other fish and to fishermen who can be injured by a sawfish as it tries to resist being caught! In the same family as rays, there are approximately five living species of sawfish, all listed as endangered. They have been subject to overfishing, as their rostrums are both in demand as curios and used in traditional medicine. Their fins are also considered a delicacy. In addition, their habitat has been severely reduced (juveniles spend most of their time in shallow water bays and estuaries) and they are often accidentally caught, as their toothy snouts easily snag in fishing nets.

Sawfish can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. The dwarf sawfish, Pristis clavata, only reaches about 1.5 m (5 feet) in length. The others are much larger, often reaching 7 m (23 feet).

To read the rest, click on "The weird, wonderfully-designed sawfish".





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