【明報專訊】Meet the largetooth sawfish, whose snout precedes its reputation. With a length of up to 6.5 metres and weighing 600 kg, it is one of the largest fish in the world. Its very long snout, or rather ''saw'', can take up to one-quarter of its entire length!
Conserving an ancient ancestry
Today's species of sawfish have dwelled in the ocean for the last 56 million years. Sadly the largetooth sawfish was once quite common, but now they are listed as ''Critically Endangered'' in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
The biggest threat is fisheries. The fins of largetooth sawfish are considered desirable to the shark fin trade and their long snouts make them particularly vulnerable to entanglement in fishing nets. Their habitats are also being destroyed by human development.
No one wants to see these ancient knights of the sea become extinct, so let us all play our part in helping to conserve their habitats. Say ''no'' to shark fins. Sustainable seafood is the way to go!
Text & photos: Ocean Park Hong Kong
■Glossary
snout (n) 動物的口鼻部分
be studded with (phr) 散佈着
consume (v) 吃
dwell (v) 存在
[Smarties' Power English 第240期]
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