HAMMERHEAD SHARK FACTS

COMMON NAME: hammerhead shark

SCIENTIFIC NAME: sphyrnidae

TYPE: fish
DIET: 

• hammerhead sharks are carnivores

• one hammerhead species is omnivorous and they eat stingrays and other sharks

• they eat crustaceans, octopuses, squid, and smaller fish

• they hunt alone

PREDATORS:

• they have no natural predators but can be attacked by orcas, dolphins, and other sharks

AVERAGE LIFE SPAN: 20-30 years
SIZE: 

• on average they’re 13-20 feet

• the smallest found is the small scalloped bonnethead (35 inches)

• the largest found is the great hammerhead (20 feet)

WEIGHT: 500-1,000 pounds

HABITAT:

• they live in temperate and tropical waters around the world

• they swim along continental shelves and coastlines

• they can be found near the surface of deep waters

• most commonly found in Central America, Southern America, Africa, Asia, and Austrailia

APPEARANCE:

• their skull is hammerhead shaped

• the upper sides of their bodies are grayish-brown or olive and their bellies are white

• their teeth are like the edges of a saw blade

• their mouths are on the underside of their heads

FUN FACTS:

• until 2009, scientists weren’t 100% sure that hammerheads could see in front of them due to the way their eyes are placed

• there have only been 17 hammerhead shark attacks on humans recorded

• two species are endangered (the scalloped hammerhead shark and the great hammerhead)

• they often swim sideways because of their odd shape

• juvenile hammerheads can get a tan when exposed to the sun

• their hammerhead shaped head allows them to pin prey (commonly stingrays) to the ocean floor

• they don’t lay eggs

• one litter can range from 6 to 50 pups

• they’re unaffected by stingray stings

• they’re very shy and are easily scared off