The Unique Hammerhead Shark

Image Tags: animal, beauty, fish, nature, photo, pictures, sea, ocean, water, shark, underwater, hammerhead

Introduction to Hammerhead Shark

Even if you struggle to keep various species of sharks clear in your mind from the rest, this is one that you will easily remember. They have the unique shaped head that has made them such a fascinating to experts as well as to the general public. There is no other species of shark out there compared to the look of the Hammerhead Shark.

Hammerhead Shark Description

As mentioned, this species of shark has a head that is wide like the head of a hammer and then a long handle as it goes back to the rest of the body. This shape is actually appropriately called cephalofoil. This shape allows them to have excellent sensory receptors, to easily manipulate their prey, and for them to move around in the water with ease.

There are several subspecies of them, and they can dramatically vary in size. Some of them are only 3 feet long and others can grow to a size of up to 20 feet long. They can also vary a great deal in weight from 500 pounds up to 1,000 pounds. Both location and their food sources also influence the overall size of Hammerhead Sharks.

They feature a light gray color but if you pay close attention to them you will also see a green-colored tint as well. They have a white belly so that they can easily sneak up on their prey in the water. It is believed that they have better vision than other species of sharks due to the shape of the head and location of their eyes. They have a 360-degree vision so that they can see above and below them in the water at the same time.

They also rely on their electro receptor sensors so that they can feel vibrations and movements in the water. This makes it very simple for them to find prey even if it is barely moving in the water. Their mouths seem to be very small in proportion to their heads.

Hammerhead Shark Distribution

Hammerhead Sharks are found in many bodies of water around the world that are warm. They tend to live the most often through the continental shelves and the coastlines. Large numbers of them have been identified around Cocos Island close to Costa Rica and Molokai Island close to Hawaii. There are also many of them around both Eastern and Southern Africa.

During the summer months, the Hammerhead Shark migrates in very large numbers. They do so in order to find cooler waters where they will stay for the hotter period of the year. This is also when a great deal of the mating will occur and the migration allows them to find the greatest genetic pool to select from.

Hammerhead Shark Behavior

While most species of sharks are loners, the Hammerhead Sharks swim in schools during the daylight hours. These schools can have up to 100 members in them. At night time though they go to find food and they do that on their own. It is believed they spend time together during the day for protection but also that they enjoy socializing to some degree as well.

They aren’t known to attack humans, but they will do so if they are provoked and feel that they must do so in order for their own protection. This is especially true of females that are about to give birth. They aren’t territorial but they are instinctively going to do what they can to protect their needs.

Hammerhead Shark Feeding

Due to the ability to pick up movements in the water, they have very little trouble finding their prey. This combined with how well they blend into their surroundings and their ability to see and they are able to get food without wasting energy. They do eat large amounts of food every day and will consume all that they can find readily available. They are nocturnal which means they do their feeding at night.

Their diet consists of quite a variety of products. They include octopus, fish, squid, stingrays, crustaceans, and small sharks including baby Hammerhead Sharks. They tend to look for their food at the bottom of the water and they are very good predators. They use their head to pin down some prey such as stingrays. They consume their prey while it is in shock and unable to move. In some instances when food is very hard to find, the females have been known to consume their own offspring.

Many experts agree that this species so shark has the greatest advantage over other species due to the shape of the head and their eyesight. This could be a prime reason why they aren’t as at risk of dropping numbers as many other species.

Hammerhead Shark Reproduction

The rituals for mating may seem harsh from our point of view as the males fiercely bite the females. However, the females have very thick skin so they aren’t in pain from those bites. Still, many of the older females do have plenty of bite marks on their bodies from this process. Mating occurs annually for the Hammerhead Sharks and that helps them with increasing their numbers. Many other species of sharks reproduce at a much slower rate.

The females are in control over mating, and will often eventually give in to the advances of the male. However, she can decide to make him go away and wait for another male to mate with. These rituals can take hours though for the female to decide one way or the other.

The females give birth to live young, but they are left to take care of their own needs as soon as they are born. The litter can have from 12 to 15 pups in it but there is one species that can have up to 40 at a time. The young depend on the safety in numbers and swim as a group towards warm water. As they get older and larger they will start to separate.

Hammerhead Shark And Beautiful Shades Of Blue

Image Tags:
hammerhead, shark, hammerhead, shark, galapagos, ecuador, sea, ocean, underwater

Hammerhead Shark Costa Rica

Hammerhead Shark Galapagos

Hammerhead Shark Paradise Island

Most of the hammerhead sharks are gray or brownish.

However, the smooth hammerhead shark is olive green or dark gray-brown on the top and white underneath. Their pectoral fins have black tips.

Links to other pages in this site

How Many Teeth Do Sharks Have?
How Long Do Mother Sharks Carry Their Babies?
How Does A Shark Breathe?
Why The Great White Shark Is Endangered?
Where Do Sharks Live?

There are many species of sharks found in the oceans around the world.

Some of them are very big while others are quite small. Some of them are to be feared while others mind their own business and they are very calm. You may be surprised to learn some of the largest species of sharks in the ocean are the nicest ones to encounter.

This information will help you identify some of the common species of sharks.

There are 440 different species of sharks in the world today classified into eight different orders described below with some examples of known sharks species for each group.

Some of the most popular species of sharks are:

Characteristics of some Types of Sharks

Angel Sharks

One of the most unusual types of sharks our there are know as angel sharks. Many people mistake them for some other types of sea creature. It isn’t uncommon for them to be thought of as large stingrays. But the simplest way to tell them apart is by looking at the location of the fins. On the angel shark, they won’t be on the head.

Leopard shark

This type of shark isn’t a meat eater. Instead it focuses on what it can find along the bottom of the ocean. Clams and mollusks often are a big part of their overall diet.

The coloring of angel sharks allow them to blend in well with the bottom of the ocean though so they often go undetected.

Hammerhead Sharks

Another unique type of shark is the Hammerhead Shark. It has a long head that looks like they ends of a hammer on both sides of it.

Many people are afraid of it due to the way that it looks. Yet it is very unlikely that they will attack a person. Nine hammerhead species are generally recognized but only three types can be dangerous to humans.

Hammerhead Sharks have a very developed sense of smell though and they will go on the hunt for prey in the ocean very aggressively. Read the complete Fact Sheet about the Hammerhead Shark…

Reef Sharks

Reef sharks seem to be able to adapt to life just about anywhere including captivity. They are loners and very seldom interact with other sharks unless it is time for breeding.

Reef Sharks can grow up to six feet long and they have very distinct features. They are gray in color on the top. Underneath they are all white or they have streaks of white. The tips of their fins are black.

Blue Sharks

All sharks swim very fast, but the blue shark is one of the fastest species.

Blue Sharks often look hungry due to the thin body they have. However, they are slender by nature and it has nothing to do with the amount of food they eat. Due to the roundness of most other types of sharks though they do seem quite on the thin side. They aren’t picky at all about what they will eat though so they never go hungry.

The blue shark is considered to be one of the most dangerous sharks in the waters. It has been known to attack people, which makes it one of species of shark that people most fear.

Blue sharks can grow up to 12 feet long so this is no small shark to be trying to get away from. Due to the speed and the strength of it very few of its prey have a chance of survival. Read the Blue Shark Fact Sheet

Great White Shark

Probably the best known species of shark is the great white. This is believed to be the most dangerous type of shark in the world. People have been able to see them as they are among the rare species that do raise their heads out of the water.

Great white sharks can grow up to 16 feet and weight around 1,500-2,400 pounds. Some have been known to weigh around 4,000 pounds but that isn’t the norm.

More people have been attacked by great white sharks than any other shark species. Locations where they are living have been identified and people are encouraged to stay away from them. Even so, swimmers, surfers, and divers have had numerous encounters with them. Read the Great White Shark Fact Sheet.

Grouping Sharks

While all sharks have similarities including they way their bodies are formed they also have many differences. Now that you are aware of some of the different types of sharks out there you can look into those that capture your attention in more detail. Sharks are very interesting and you will find there is an abundance of information out there to explore.

Physical Characteristics of Each Group