Great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran)

General data

Main name: Great hammerhead
Climates: Tropical, Subtropical
Habitat: Saltwater
Native: Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Australia & Oceania
Distribution: Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian ocean

Classification

Genus: Sphyrna - Sphyrna
Family: Sphyrnidae - Hammerheads
Order: Carcharhiniformes - Ground sharks
Class: Elasmobranchii - Sharks and Rays
Superclass: Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes

Description

The great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) is the largest species of hammerhead sharks, belonging to the family Sphyrnidae, attaining an average length of 4.6 m (15 ft) and reaching a maximum length of 6.1 m (20 ft). It is found in tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide, inhabiting coastal areas and the continental shelf. The great hammerhead can be distinguished from other hammerheads by the shape of its hammer (called the cephalofoil), which is wide with an almost straight front margin, and by its tall, sickle-shaped first dorsal fin. A solitary, strong-swimming apex predator, the great hammerhead feeds on a wide variety of prey ranging from crustaceans and cephalopods, to bony fish, to smaller sharks. Observations of this species in the wild suggest that the cephalofoil functions to immobilize stingrays, a favored prey. This species has a viviparous mode of reproduction, bearing litters of up to 50 pups every two years. Although potentially dangerous, the great hammerhead rarely attacks humans. It sometimes behaves inquisitively toward divers and should be treated with respect. This shark is heavily fished for its large fins, which are valuable on the Chinese market as the main ingredient of shark fin soup. As a result, great hammerhead populations are declining substantially worldwide, and it has been assessed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as of 2019.

Great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran)

General data

Classification

Description

Taxonomy of Fishes