Why are scalloped hammerhead sharks important?

Like all hammerhead sharks, the scalloped hammerhead is an active predator and gains several advantages from the shape of its head. Also, the scalloped hammerhead may use its head to pin stingrays to the bottom, allowing them to successfully eat those difficult to capture species.

What is a hammerhead shark head called?

The hammerhead sharks are a group of sharks that form the family Sphyrnidae, so named for the unusual and distinctive structure of their heads, which are flattened and laterally extended into a “hammer” shape called a cephalofoil.

Why are hammerhead sharks called hammerheads?

This shark’s unusual name comes from the unusual shape of its head, an amazing piece of anatomy built to maximize the fish’s ability to find its favorite meal: stingrays. A hammerhead shark uses its wide head to trap stingrays by pinning them to the seafloor.

Do Hammerheads lay eggs?

Hammerhead sharks are viviparous: they retain fertilized eggs within the body and give birth to live young—from 2 to 42. Smaller species produce just a few young, whereas the great hammerhead will give birth to several dozen.

Why is the scalloped hammerhead endangered?

About the Species They are threatened by commercial fishing, mainly for the shark fin trade. Two distinct population segments of the scalloped hammerhead shark are listed as endangered and two are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

What is the behavior of the scalloped hammerhead shark?

Scalloped hammerheads spend most of the day closer inshore, moving offshore to hunt at night. Adults generally spend the majority of their time off shore, and form schools segregated by sex. Females generally mature faster and at a smaller size than males, moving offshore once they have reached maturity.

What is the difference between a hammerhead shark and a great hammerhead shark?

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. Although potentially dangerous, the great hammerhead rarely attacks humans.

Are hammerheads and great hammerheads the same?

Great Hammerhead They can be distinguished from other hammerheads by their large “hammer,” which has a notch in the middle. Great hammerheads may be found both close to shore and offshore, in warm temperate and tropical waters.