Nearly 20-year-old largetooth Sawfish "Sienna", Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo celebrates International Sawfish Day.

International Sawfish Day, an annual event held worldwide on October 17, is celebrated to raise awareness of these vulnerable rays and highlight the threats they face, as well as the measures they can take to protect their future.

As part of sawfish fish feeding session the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, Awareness Day was marked with special talks on their safety and security, which was held at 13:45 pm each day.

Sawfishes belong to the same family as sharks, rays and skates. They are considered the worlds most endangered of the elasmobranches, which are fish that have a skeleton made of cartilage, and yet few people know about these amazingly unique animals. Despite their importance, all five speciesthe largetooth sawfish, the smalltooth sawfish, the green sawfish, the dwarf sawfish and the narrow sawfishare listed as endangered under the Species Act.

The International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists these two species, the short and dwarf sawfish, as endangered and the other threesmalltooth, green and largetooth sawfishas critically endangered. Populations is consistently falling due to habitat destruction, fishing and detrimental practices such as finning, so it is vital to spread awareness about these amazing creatures.

Did you know?
Sawfish's snout is a long, flat blade with about 20 teeth on either side. This snout can be used to catch fish and also detect passing prey.
The most distinctive feature of sawfish's is the saw-like rostrum, which is covered with electro-sensitive holes that allow small fish to detect small movements of prey hidden in the muddy sea floor.
Sawfish are part of a group of sharks, skaters and rays. There are more than 1,000 elasmopranch types.
Sawfish are more than 20 feet long. According to NOAA, the maximum length of a smalltooth sawfish is 25 feet. and Green sawfish lives in Africa, Asia and Australia reaches about 24 feet.
Sawfish live in shallow waters, often with muddy or sandy bottoms. They may also swim above rivers.
Breeding occurs through internal fertilization in these species. Depending on the species, pregnancy can last from several months to one year. The Pubs are born with full-grown, but are sheathed and flexible enough to avoid hurting the mother at birth.