Fish Active day and night

Green Sawfish

Pristis zijsron

iNaturalist Wikipedia

A prehistoric marvel of the tropical shallows, the Green Sawfish is a master of the silty seafloor. Recognized by its massive, tooth-lined rostrum, this critically endangered giant is one of the ocean's most elusive and awe-inspiring sights.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Maximum length of up to 7.3 metres (24 feet), though modern sightings typically range from 3-5 metres (10-16 feet) with weights up to 600kg (1,320 lbs)

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Colors

Dull olive-green or yellowish-brown on the upper body with a sharply defined white or pale cream underbelly

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Key Features

Extremely long rostrum (saw) with 23-34 pairs of evenly spaced teeth
Pectoral fins originate well behind the start of the first dorsal fin
Shark-like body with a greenish-olive hue and no distinct lower tail lobe

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern Active day and night

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Peak hours Most active during rising tides and nocturnal hours

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Season Year-round

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Diet Small schooling fish, squid, and benthic invertebrates like prawns and crabs

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Habitat Shallow coastal waters, muddy estuaries, and mangrove forests, rarely venturing deeper than 70 metres

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Where Does the Green Sawfish Live?

The Green Sawfish is native to the warm waters of the Indo-West Pacific, though its historical range has contracted significantly. Today, Northern Australia serves as the species' primary global stronghold, offering the vast, undisturbed coastal habitats they require. Beyond Australia, small and fragmented populations may still persist in parts of Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, though they are now tragically extinct in much of their former range along the East African coast and the Red Sea.

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7 Countries

1.5M km² Range

Critically Endangered Conservation

AU Australia ID Indonesia Papua New Guinea IN India TH Thailand MY Malaysia Sri Lanka

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iNaturalist / Verified observation data

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Behavior

The Green Sawfish is a specialized bottom-dweller that moves with a deceptive, slow-motion grace through silty coastal waters. It uses its iconic rostrum as both a high-tech sensory array and a brutal hunting tool. Thousands of tiny electro-receptors along the snout allow the sawfish to detect the faint electrical pulses of prey hidden beneath the sand, making it an effective hunter even in pitch-black or murky water.

When a Green Sawfish locates a school of fish, it thrashes its saw in a rapid side-to-side motion, impaling or stunning multiple targets at once. Despite their formidable appearance and massive size, they are generally non-aggressive toward humans unless provoked or accidentally stepped on in the shallows. They are largely solitary creatures, though they exhibit a strong 'homing' instinct, returning to specific estuaries for nursery periods.

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Camera Tips

Capturing a Green Sawfish requires a specialized underwater or 'pier-cam' setup. Because they are shy and inhabit murky, tidal areas, your camera needs to be housed in a rugged, waterproof casing and weighted heavily to withstand coastal currents. For the best results, mount your camera on a submerged structure like a dock piling or a custom seafloor tripod in a known travel corridor, such as a narrow channel within a mangrove system or an estuarine bottleneck.

Attracting these predators is most effective through scent rather than visual lures. Secure a perforated bait box containing oily fish—like mullet or mackerel—about 3 to 5 feet in front of the lens. The Green Sawfish will follow the scent trail and may spend considerable time using its rostrum to investigate the bait box, providing you with incredible close-up footage of their unique dental structure and sensory pores.

Visibility is often the biggest hurdle in sawfish photography. Standard white lights can cause significant 'backscatter' (reflecting off particles in the water) and may spook the fish. Instead, utilize high-powered infrared (IR) illumination for nighttime recording. This allows you to capture clear, natural behavior without disturbing the animal. Setting your camera to record 60fps video is preferable to still photos, as the rapid thrashing of the saw can be analyzed frame-by-frame for scientific identification.

Always be mindful of the tide; the best footage is often captured during the 'flood tide' when sawfish move into shallow flats to forage. Ensure your equipment is tethered with marine-grade stainless steel cables, as a curious sawfish can easily snag a camera with its rostrum and drag it a considerable distance. Finally, always check local marine sanctuary regulations before deploying any monitoring equipment for this protected species.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Green Sawfish.

Narrow Sawfish

Much smaller with a noticeably slimmer rostrum that lacks teeth on the quarter closest to the head.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Green Sawfish are active throughout a 24-hour cycle, but they show increased movement during tidal shifts, particularly rising tides that allow them to enter shallow foraging grounds. They are often more bold and active under the cover of darkness or during low-light conditions at dawn and dusk.

The most effective way to attract a Green Sawfish is using scent. Since they have highly developed electro-receptors and a keen sense of smell, placing a weighted bait bag with oily fish like sardines near your underwater camera is the best strategy in areas where they are known to live.

Their diet consists primarily of small schooling fish and bottom-dwelling invertebrates. They use their saw to knock fish out of the water column or to dig up crustaceans buried in the sand, using a side-to-side thrashing motion to stun or kill their prey before eating it.

They are extremely rare due to their critically endangered status. However, in parts of Northern Australia, they are occasionally spotted in suburban canals and coastal estuaries. They prefer quiet, mangrove-lined areas away from heavy boat traffic.

The Green Sawfish can be identified by its high tooth count (23-34 pairs) and the position of its fins. Unlike the Largetooth Sawfish, the Green Sawfish's first dorsal fin starts well behind where its pectoral fins meet the body. It also lacks a distinct lower lobe on its tail fin.

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