The rostrum is the anterior end of a chordate animal. It is derived from the word snout (rostrum).

The rostrum, an elongated, conical, shovel-shaped anterior part of the head anterior to the eyes, performs hydrodynamic functions.

The rostrum (an integral cartilaginous outgrowth) is especially pronounced in sturgeon fish (sturgeon, shovelnose sturgeon, etc.), and among cartilaginous fish - in sawfish and pylonos. It is represented by 3 separate outgrowths in the whale shark and other fishes. In the sawfish and pylonos on its sides are large skin teeth, which makes the rostrum of these fish similar to a saw and turns it into an instrument of defense and attack. In most rays, the anterior edges of the pectoral fins are attached to the rostrum. In many modern fish it is reduced.