CNN
By Jen Christensen, CNN
4 minute read
Updated 11:49 AM EDT, Fri April 12, 2024
The smalltooth sawfish, a critically endangered animal, is in even more danger than usual in the Florida seas. Six of the rare creatures washed up dead in the past seven days, officials reported Wednesday – a dramatic increase in mortality amid a mysterious die-off that has baffled scientists for months.
These animals that look like a shark with a chainsaw-like mouth, are a part of a group of fish called elasmobranchs that include rays, skates and sharks, and they can live for several decades under normal circumstances. Typically, about five mature adults are lost each year, mostly when they are accidentally caught in fisheries.