Witness the fascinating development of smalltooth sawfish as they grow their iconic tooth-lined snout even before birth. These needle-sharp teeth are safely encased in a specialized sheath to protect the mother and siblings during gestation and birth. Scientists have recently uncovered the secrets of this natural pocket protector.
Through close observations of baby sawfish and detailed laboratory analysis, researchers have unveiled the sheath as a resilient, multi-layered “second skin” that naturally sheds within days after birth. This groundbreaking discovery challenges the previous belief that the sheath was delicate and gel-like.
Dean Grubbs, a fish ecologist at Florida State University, notes the significance of this structure in shielding the sharp points of the sawfish. The species, Pristis pectinata, is predominantly found in the waters of South Florida and the western Bahamas, making it a rare and elusive ray that required nearly two decades of research to obtain sheath tissue samples.
2024-05-30 08:00:00
Read more about this incredible discovery on www.sciencenews.org