Sawfish (Monterey Bay Aquarium Collection by Safari Ltd.)

Not to be conflated with sawsharks, sawfish are a family of rays belonging to the Pristidae family. This family is distinguished by an elongated rostrum. This “saw” is equipped with specialized external “teeth” and sensory structures to aid in electroreception and prey capture. Sawfish share ancestral affinities with the guitarfish. Currently, five species across two genera are recognized. Sawfish were historically common across all tropical and subtropical waters, with their extant range being more heavily restricted. The largest species may reach lengths of 6-7 m. They feed primarily on fish along with mollusks and crustaceans. Due to fishing pressure and habitat loss, all five species are considered Endangered or Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Sawfish may be preyed upon by large sharks and crocodiles.

Today’s review for Shark Week marks an end of an era as I cover the last remaining item from Safari Ltd.’s impressive Monterey Bay Aquarium Collection. The sawfish was among the last figures in production before the entire line was officially discontinued last year. Time for one last look for the blog.

The figure measures approximately 27 cm from the tip of the rostrum to the caudal end of the upper lobe of the tail. The MBA sawfish is marketed at the same 1:20 scale as all other chondrichthyan species except for the 1:40 scale whale shark. This would mean that this specimen ought to scale to a 5.4 m specimen.

The MBA sawfish’s classification is only marketed at the Pristidae level. However the marketed size, shape of the pectoral fins, and position of the dorsal fin are most consistent with the largetooth sawfish (Pristis pristis). The overall sculpt is very good, but shares similar issues as with some other figures where the inner margins are fused to the main body, causing all the fins to look very triangular from the dorsal and lateral view.

Along each side of the rostrum are 24 “teeth”, each individual sculpted. This is consistent with the expected number found in the largetooth sawfish.

While the large tooth sawfish is typically a brownish color, the older version (background) is a glossy slate gray while the newer version (foreground) has a a lighter matte finish.

The ventral side of both figures are white with five pairs of gills sculpted, as to be expected. The mouth is relatively modest, which works in this figure’s favor as the lack of fine detail for the mouths did not age well for other MBA figures. The absence of claspers attached to the pelvic fins indicates that this is a female like the other species of the MBA line.

The sawfish, while not the most remarkable entry in the MBA line, is among the better-aging. The MBA sawfish is still among a better options if you’re looking for something in a larger scale. Being among the figures still in production up until 2023, this may be one of the easier items to pick up from the secondhand market. With so many species no longer being sold by Safari Ltd., there’s a large vacuum for replacements. This makes me very curious of what to expect from future Sea Life releases.