Hammerhead Shark

ID points

• Head extended sideways into a hammer, with an eye at each end
• First dorsal fin tall and pointed, clearly larger than the second
• Often cruises in schools around seamounts

Basics

Family

Sphyrnidae

Length

2.0–4.0 m

Depth

0-300 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs · Caribbean & W. Atlantic · Temperate & polar · Open ocean

Distribution

Coastal and open waters, tropical to temperate worldwide

Habitat

Coastal waters and seamounts

Diet

Fish, stingrays, cephalopods

Easily confused with

Bull SharkStout body with a short blunt snout that looks cut off flatCaribbean Reef SharkStout body, first dorsal fin starting over the rear edge of the pectoral finsGoblin SharkThe snout juts straight forward like a long blade

Fun fact

The hammer-shaped head of a hammerhead shark is studded with electroreceptors that pick up the faint electrical fields produced by the contracting muscles of prey. Stingrays are its most frequent catch.