To listen to this article, please select Control + Shift + Z to launch the pop-up player.

A-Z Animals - Animal Facts, Images and Resources

Animals >>

Hammerhead Shark

Add to Phobia Filter

Contribute

Listen

Hammerhead Sharks are appropriately named after their flat shaped heads. Hammerhead sharks are large carnivorous fish that prey on large fish and occasionally hammerhead sharks will hunt small water mammals.

Hammerhead sharks are found in the warmer waters of oceans worldwide but hammerhead sharks are particularly found in coastal waters, and along continental shelves. The shallow waters that the hammerhead sharks inhabit allow the hammerhead shark to hunt prey more easily.

There are 9 different species of hammerhead shark worldwide, ranging from 3ft to 20ft in length! Hammerhead sharks are not commonly known to attack humans but can be aggressive if a human came into contact with a hammerhead shark.

The flat shaped head of the hammerhead shark is thought to allow the hammerhead shark to detect prey more easily, as it increases the hammerhead sharks sensitivity to sonar activity. Hammerhead sharks are thought to use sonar waves detection in a similar way to their five main senses, so its like the hammerhead shark has a sixth sense.

The shape of the head of the hammerhead shark is made up of two projections on either side of the face of the hammerhead shark, which gives the hammerhead shark the head shape that resembles a hammer almost rectangular in shape. The eyes and nostrils of the hammerhead shark are found at the ends of the hammer allowing the hammerhead shark to have better vision and smell of the surrounding water.

Like many other species of shark the hammerhead shark is a solitary hunter during the night, but during the daytime hammerhead sharks are known to form schools of up to 100 hammerhead shark individuals. Hammerhead sharks are commonly seen in larger groups during the summer months when the hammerhead sharks are migrating together in search of cooler waters.

The great hammerhead shark is the largest species of hammerhead shark and one of the few species of hammerhead shark that is potentially dangerous to humans. This is due to the sheer size of the giant hammerhead shark and also because the giant hammerhead is known to have an aggressive temperament. Other species of hammerhead shark tend to pose little or no threat to humans as these species of hammerhead shark are generally much smaller than the giant hammerhead shark and are slightly calmer in their nature.

Hammerhead Shark Comments (12)

Brandon

"Perfect for my 5th grade school report thanks!"

sal

"it is cool"

James

"perfect for my report:-)"

Showing 3 of 12 comments.

Show More Comments

Post Comment

Article Tools

	Print Article View printer friendly version of Hammerhead Shark article.
	Listen to Article Listen to audio version of Hammerhead Shark article. Hot key: + +

Hammerhead Shark Facts

Kingdom: A level of classifying all living things on earth, as similar species are broken into 5 groups including plants, animals and fungi....	Animalia
Phylum: A level of classifying animals within the animal kingdom. Phylum are further divided into subgroups called classes....	Chordata
Class: A level of classifying animals in a phylum. Classes are then sub-divided into further groups known as orders....	Chondrichthyes
Order: A level used to classify animals. Classes are broken into sub-groups known as order, which are broken down further into families....	Carcharhiniformes
Family: A level of classifying animals within an order. Orders are broken down in families and families are broken down further into smaller groups called genus....	Sphyrnidae
Genus: A level of classifying animals within a family. Families are divided into sub-groups called genus which generally contain one or two animal species....	Sphyrna

Scientific Name:	Sphyrna Zygaena
Type:	Fish
Diet:	Carnivore
Size:	3.5-6m (11.5-20ft)
Weight:	230-450kg (500-1000lbs)
Top Speed:	40km/h (25mph)
Life Span:	20-25 years
Lifestyle:	Herd
Conservation Status: The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing the conservation s...	Threatened

Colour:	Grey, Brown, White
Skin Type:	Smooth
Favourite Food:	Fish
Habitat: The term habitat is used to describe a specific area where a particular animal lives, within an environment. Many animals have adapted to requiring specific conditions which can only be found in their natural habitat su...	Warm waters and continental shelves
Average Litter Size:	26
Main Prey: When an animal is referred to prey, it means that the animal is either hunted or caught for food. Animals that are referred to as prey are generally hunted by bigger animals, although there are a number of exceptions....	Fish, Squid, Octopus
Predators: When an animal is referred to as a predator, it means that the animal either hunts or catches other animals. Predatory animals are generally dominant within their environment and will generally hunt animals smaller than...	Tiger Shark, Great White Shark, Killer Whale
Special Features:	Broad, flat head and large eyes

Related Animals

	Bull Shark Unpredictable and aggressive temperament!
	Fish Respire through the gills on their heads!
	Great White Shark Can grow to more than 8 meters long!
	Grey Reef Shark One of the most common shark species!
	Nurse Shark Commonly found in Central American waters!
	Tiger Shark The fourth biggest species of shark in the world!
	Whale Shark The largest species of fish in the world!