About Hammmerhead Sharks

Hammerheads are a specialized genus of sharks that consist of nine known species. The unique appearance of these animals is an adaptation to help them locate prey, giving them better senses than a lot of other shark species. The largest of the hammerheads is the great hammerhead, with other species, including the whitefin, scalloped, scoophead and smooth hammerheads.

  1. Description

    • Starting at the tail and moving forward, hammerhead sharks have the typical streamlined, sharp-finned appearance of many shark species. Instead of the pointed snouts that make many sharks look like torpedoes, however, the hammerhead has a flattened, hammer-shaped head. Large, flat lobes extend to either side of the head; the eyes are found at each end. The largest species grows to 20 feet and up to 1,000 lbs. The smallest species, the bonnethead, grows to between 3 to 4 feet and weighs around 9 lbs.

    Habitat and Range

    • Hammerheads live throughout the world's warm ocean regions, and species such as the great hammerhead live worldwide. Smaller species, such as the bonnethead, live only in the western hemisphere and are more limited in range. The sharks can live in deep ocean and coastal regions and often migrate between the two. Migration also occurs seasonally, with many species moving north during the summer months when oceans warm up.

    Diet

    • Sharks hunt using sensory pits located on their heads and bodies. The hammerhead, with its wider head, detects its prey, which emit electrical fields, through the sensory pits. Hammerheads eat a wide range of foods dependent on size and species. The great hammerhead, for example, hunts for large rays hidden on the ocean floor as well as smaller sharks and bony fish. Other species eat smaller prey, which can include small fish, crustaceans, and shrimp. Humans are generally not on the menu for these sharks, but attacks have occurred mainly out of defense, not hunting.

    Life Cycle

    • Depending on species, hammerheads can be solitary or may travel in large schools. Little is known about breeding behavior but it is known that offspring are born live. Great hammerheads can produce litters of 20 to 40 young, while smaller species tend to birth between 8 and 12. The young sharks have to fend for themselves from birth and avoid potential predators. At birth, hammerhead pups tend to have more rounded heads with the distinctive head shapes developing as they grow to adulthood.