Sealife guideHammerhead sharksSharks

The hammerhead shark © Aymeric

Classification

Common name: Hammerhead shark
French name: Requin marteau
Scientific name: 11 species of hammerhead sharks
Family: Sphyrnidae
Order: Carcharhiniformes
Class: Elasmobranchs

There are 11 species of hammerhead sharks grouped within the Sphyrnidae family, namely:

the great hammerhead shark [Sphyrna mokarran]
the whitefin hammerhead shark [Sphyrna couardi]
the smooth hammerhead shark [Sphyrna zygaena]
the scalloped bonnethead shark [Sphyrna corona]
the scoophead shark [Sphyrna media]
the scalloped hammerhead shark [Sphyrna lewini]
the small-eyed hammerhead shark [Sphyrna tudes]
the winghead shark [Eusphyra blochii]
the bonnethead shark [Sphyrna tiburo]
the Carolina hammerhead shark [Sphyrna gilberti]
the shovelbill shark [Sphyrna alleni]

Morphology

The hammerhead shark gets its name from its flattened T-shaped head that resembles a hammer. Its eyes are located at each end of its hammer-shaped head. It has large teeth.

Hammerhead shark morphology © Roman Dekan | Fotolia.com

The hammerhead shark can reach more than 13 feet in length.

Geographical distribution

Hammerhead sharks live in the warm seas and oceans of the world. They can be found at depths of up to 330 feet.

Habitat

The hammerhead shark is a pelagic fish that can live either solitary, like the great hammerhead shark, or in schools, like the scalloped hammerhead shark, forming groups of up to a hundred individuals.

Diet

The hammerhead shark has exceptional vision © Ilan Ben Tov | Fotolia.com

With an exceptional field of vision thanks to the placement of its eyes and its sensory abilities, the hammerhead shark is a formidable hunter. It feeds on rays, tuna, crustaceans, and cephalopods.

Reproduction

The gestation period of hammerhead sharks is slightly longer than that of humans, about 9 to 12 months. They can give birth to 10 to 40 pups. At birth, young hammerhead sharks already measure about 24 inches in length.

Did you know ?

The hammerhead shark is capable of making very tight turns, tighter than other shark species.

One of the most widespread hammerhead sharks is the scalloped hammerhead shark, a species recognizable by its widely expanded T-shaped head. Found in tropical and subtropical waters worldwide, it inhabits both coastal areas and deeper waters. This medium-sized shark is known for its social behavior, sometimes forming large schools, especially around seamounts.

Featured hammerhead sharks3 species

Bonnethead shark
(Sphyrna tiburo)

Great hammerhead shark
(Sphyrna mokarran)

Scalloped hammerhead
(Sphyrna lewini)

Explore other sharks

Copper shark
(Carcharhinus brachyurus)

Crested hornshark
(Heterodontus galeatus)

Dark shyshark
(Haploblepharus pictus)

Dusky shark
(Carcharhinus obscurus)

Galapagos shark
(Carcharhinus galapagensis)

Great white shark
(Carcharodon carcharias)

Japanese angelshark
(Squatina japonica)

Japanese wobbegong
(Orectolobus japonicus)

Leopard catshark
(Poroderma pantherinum)

Longfin mako
(Isurus paucus)

Pacific angelshark
(Squatina californica)

Raja epaulette shark
(Hemiscyllium freycineti)

Short fin mako
(Isurus oxyrinchus)

Silvertip shark
(Carcharhinus albimarginatus)

Tawny nurse shark
(Nebrius ferrugineus)

Whale shark
(Rhincodon typus)

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