📸 PhotoPhoto: Daiju Azuma · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Japanese sawshark
Pristiophorus japonicus (Japanese sawshark · ノコギリザメ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 A female's maximum length of 136 cm is similar to the height of an upper-grade elementary school child (Comparison).
- 💡 It is listed in FishBase as a species targeted by commercial fisheries (FishBase).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The Japanese sawshark is a small shark living near the bottom of continental shelves and upper slopes, as well as on coastal sandy and muddy bottoms.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Females grow up to 136 cm. Its snout bears barbels, which it uses while poking the bottom to find prey.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It pokes the bottom with its barbelled snout to feed on small bottom-dwelling organisms. It is ovoviviparous, giving birth to 12 young per litter.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
It is a species recorded in Korea and listed in the National List of Species of Korea.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2021) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/161634/124518986
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — 4MJWD
- • iucnredlist.org — 124518986
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000057335 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000057335
- • wikidata.org — Q29113
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Pristiophorus japonicus.jpg
- • fishbase.se — Pristiophorus-japonicus.html
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — author not recorded · CC0 1.0 (Congeneric silhouette — Pristiophorus schroederi)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.