The African sawtail catshark (Galeus polli) is a species of catshark, part of the family Scyliorhinidae. Demersal in nature, it is found at depths of off the western African coast from Morocco to South Africa. This slender species has a rather long, pointed snout, a series of dark saddles along the back and tail, and a prominent crest of enlarged dermal denticles along the upper edge of the caudal fin. Its maximum known length is . The diet of the African sawtail catshark consists of small bony fishes, squid, and crustaceans. It is the only member of its genus known to be aplacental viviparous; reproduction proceeds year-round, with females bear litters of up to 12 pups. In relatively shallower waters, this shark is caught incidentally and utilized for meat or fishmeal. The fisheries off Namibia, where it is most abundant, are well-managed and do not threaten its population. Given also that sharks in deeper waters are not significantly fished, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed this species as Vulnerable. Taxonomy In 1953, Belgian ichthyologist Max Poll published a report on sharks and chimaeras captured during a 1948–49 Belgian oceanographic expedition off western Africa, including several seemingly ovoviviparous blackmouth catsharks (G. melastomus). As the blackmouth catshark is known to be oviparous, Poll's account alerted French zoologist Jean Cadenat to the presence of a distinct catshark species in the region. After examining more specimens from Senegal, Cadenat described the new species in a 1959 issue of the scientific journal Bulletin de l'Institut Français d'Afrique Noire (Série A) Sciences Naturelles, naming it in Poll's honor. Distribution and habitat The African sawtail catshark is found along much of the western coast of Africa, from southern Morocco to the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. It is known to be abundant off Namibia and rare south of the Orange River. This species inhabits the outer continental shelf and upper continental slope between the depths of , and is most common at depths of . Found on or near the bottom, this shark can tolerate water with low levels of dissolved oxygen. Description The African sawtail catshark attains a maximum known length of ; females tend to be larger than males. It has a slender, firm body and a slightly flattened head with a long, pointed snout. The anterior rim of each nostril bears a triangular flap of skin. The eyes are