You say you saw fish, but have you seen a sawfish?

Nature sometimes has the same sensibilities as I did as a seven-year-old drawing pictures. It seems at some point both of us had the idea that sharks are cool and all, but what if you took a shark and put a big chainsaw-like thing on its face?

The answer is a sawfish, and while it’s not really a chainsaw nor is it really a shark, these rays are still pretty cool. Unfortunately, they’re also critically endangered species and desperately in need of preservation efforts. In fact, the two species that were known to inhabit the waters of Japan are believed to have gone extinct.

And because they’re no longer in Japan and are a highly protected species, it is very rare for an aquarium in Japan to be able to care for one. One such facility is Zero Distance Ise Sea Paradise in the city of Ise, Mie Prefecture. Not only are they special for having a sawfish, but they currently have the longest-lived largetooth sawfish (Pristis pristis) in captivity in Japan and possibly the world.

▼ A news report from five years ago celebrating the fish’s 33rd anniversary at the aquarium.

This female was brought to the aquarium in 1987, making her at least 38 years old, but when she first arrived, the longest a Japanese aquarium had been able to keep a largetooth sawfish alive for was still under 100 days. Her longevity is thanks to a better understanding of these fish’s needs and habits.

She is currently a healthy 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) long, weighs 75 kilograms (165 pounds), and still eats regularly while maintaining an active lifestyle. Sea Paradise has also recently finished a new enclosure that’s better suited for the sawfish to help ensure she continues to live a long time. During construction, the fish was kept in the back and away from the public eye, but from 13 December, she made her triumphant return to the spotlight.

To celebrate the occasion, the aquarium will also be holding feeding explanation sessions, where they use an actual sawfish’s saw to demonstrate how it’s used to swat down prey or dig through the sand on the ocean floor.

As its name implies, Zero Distance Ise Sea Paradise specializes in up-close and hands-on exhibits, so visitors will also get a chance to touch the sample sawfish nose. And, of course, their other animals like walruses, penguins, otters, and spotted seals can be seen up close too.

Hopefully, their ability to preserve these fish will continue to improve, and they can be pulled back from the brink of extinction. I’d hate to see them get wiped off the face of the Earth like the rocket sharks were. I mean, I have to assume nature came up with that one too.

Aquarium information
Zero Distance Aquarium Ise Sea Paradise / ゼロ距離水族館 伊勢シーパラダイス
Address: Mie-ken, Ise-shi, Futamichoe 580
三重県伊勢市二見町江580
Open 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (5 p.m. weekends & holidays)
Admission: 600 to 2,800 yen depending on age
Website

Source, images: PR Times
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