Sawfish are large cartilaginous fish related to the ray and skate. They owe their name to their long, flattened rostrum, or nose extension, lined with sharp transverse teeth, resembling a double-edged saw. The rostrum is about a quarter of the length of the entire animal, which can reach 6-7 metres. Sawfish are predators that live near the bottom of the sea and hunt other fish or invertebrates, such as molluscs and crustaceans. The mouth and nostrils open on the lower side of the body, while the eyes are on the upper surface. The rostrum on display in the museum belongs to the Pristis pectinata species. It once formed part of the collection put together by the Venetian pharmacist Giovanni Girolamo Zanichelli (1662-1729) and was donated to the University of Padua in 1759. According to the historical catalogues, this specimen originated in the Adriatic Sea—an extremely interesting fact, since today the species has disappeared from the entire Mediterranean. The 5 species of sawfish currently in existence are all typical of shallow tropical and subtropical waters and are highly endangered.
