Animal Profiles
Fish

Hammerhead Shark

Sphyrnidae

Living

Living individuals or members of this group exist today. This does not mean they are safe from extinction.

Hammerhead sharks have unusually wide heads. This account describes the great hammerhead, a large warm-water predator with a tall curved dorsal fin and a diet that includes stingrays.

Great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) photographed at the Georgia Aquarium.

Great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) photographed at the Georgia Aquarium.

Jake Mohan from Minneapolis, USA · CC BY

At a glance

Location
Sphyrna mokarran is the representative used here. It occupies tropical and subtropical seas, using coastal shelves, reefs, bays and offshore water. Some populations make seasonal movements towards cooler latitudes.
Habitat
Coast, Coral reef, Open ocean
Diet
Carnivore
Food
Great hammerheads eat fishes, rays, other sharks and marine invertebrates.

Classification

Common name
Hammerhead Shark
Browse group
Fish
Scientific name or taxon
Sphyrnidae
Taxon rank
family
Order
Carcharhiniformes
Family
Sphyrnidae
Source classification
Chondrichthyes

Taxonomy checked against GBIF. For breeds and hybrids, this describes the listed parent taxon.

Three things to know

  • It has a tall curved dorsal fin.
  • Stingrays are among its prey.
  • It often travels alone.

Habitat and range

Sphyrna mokarran is the representative used here. It occupies tropical and subtropical seas, using coastal shelves, reefs, bays and offshore water. Some populations make seasonal movements towards cooler latitudes.

Appearance and adaptations

The broad head carries widely separated eyes. A streamlined body is darker above and pale beneath, while the first dorsal fin is conspicuously tall and curved.

Diet and behaviour

Great hammerheads eat fishes, rays, other sharks and marine invertebrates. They are often solitary. Their broad heads and sensory systems help them search for prey in varied marine habitats.

Sources

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