Rare Sawfish Caught in South Florida

May 26, 2014— -- A group of south Florida fishermen reeled in a rare sawfish over the weekend, capturing the exciting feat on video.

It took Dustin Richter and pals more than two hours to wrangle the 11-foot long, 500-pound creature during a midnight fishing trip on Sunday morning, ABC’s West Palm Beach affiliate WPBF reported.

Why Sawfish are at Risk

“Catching a fish like that is like once in a lifetime,” Richter said.

Richter and his friends, from Boynton Beach, Fla., let the sawfish go after bringing it to shore and filming a video.

“It’s just one of those prehistoric-looking animals,” he said. “If you see them you’re lucky to see them and if you catch them you’re even luckier.”

The sawfish is a shark-like fish with a long, thin snout covered in razor-sharp teeth that resembles a saw.

They might look scary, but sawfish aren’t a direct threat to humans. They use their “saws” to capture and kill prey -- mostly smaller fish, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Sawfish are an endangered species. They’re usually found in shallow, coastal waters.