Common Sawshark (Pristiophorus cirratus). Illustration: R. Aidan Martin

Sawsharks resemble sawfish, with a long, toothy snout. They have long nasal barbels, or mustache-like appendages, extending from the middle of the long snout. The barbels are very sensitive, The Sawshark's barbels, together with electro-receptors (ampullae of Lorenzini) on the underside of the saw, are used to sense prey buried in the sand. Sawsharks use the saw to uncover and disable the prey, which they then take into their small mouths.