Rare Sawfish Caught in South Florida
Shark-like creature has a blade of teeth that resembles a saw.
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.
“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.”
![PHOTO: Dustin Richter caught a rare sawfish at Boynton Beach Inlet on May 25, 2014.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/ABC_sawfish_4_mar_140525_4x3_992.jpg)
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.
![PHOTO: Dustin Richter caught a rare sawfish at Boynton Beach Inlet on May 25, 2014.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/ABC_sawfish_2_mar_140525_16x9_992.jpg)