Common Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini)- one of the most recognizable sharks in the world due to its unusual head shape, which resembles a hammer. It is there the most common member of the Hammerhead shark family (Sphyrnidae) and it has an impressive size, aggressive nature and extremely sharp feelings.
🔍 Main Features:
✔ Length-up to 4.3 meters
✔ Weight-up to 150 kg
✔ Excellent eyesight and electroreceptors
✔ Viviparous-gives birth to up to 50 cubs
✔ Often forms large flocks
This shark plays an important role in marine ecosystems, controlling the population of fish and other marine life. However, due to overfishing, its numbers are rapidly declining and it is considered an endangered species.
Scientific classification
🔬 Classification of the common hammerhead shark:
✔ The Kingdom: Animals (Animalia)
✔ Type: Chordal (Chordata)
✔ Class: Cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes)
✔ Row: Carcharine-like (Carcharhiniformes)
✔ Family: Hammerhead sharks (Sphyrnidae)
✔ Gender: Hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna)
✔ View: Common Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini)
📌 Interesting!
Title Sphyrna it comes from the Greek language and means "hammer", which directly describes the characteristic shape of the head of these sharks.
Appearance and dimensions
📏 Main Features:
• Length: 2.5–4.3 m, highscore – 5 m
• Weight: up to 150 kg
• Life span: 20-30 years old
🎨 Color scheme:
• Dark grey or brown back
• Pale white belly
• Young individuals have dark edges of fins
🔍 Main differences:
• A broad head shaped like a hammer with eyes at the ends
• Two dorsal fins, of which the front one is much larger
• Slim and streamlined body for fast swimming
📌 Interesting!
The eyes located on the edges of the "hammer" provide 360° panoramic view, which helps detect loot and enemies.
Living environment
🌍 Where does the common hammerhead shark live?
• Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans
• Tropical and subtropical waters
• Coral reefs, continental shelf, open ocean
🏝 Living conditions:
• Water temperature-22-28°C
• Depth-20-275 m, sometimes drops to 500 m
• It forms large flocks off the coast and in coastal lagoons
📌 Interesting!
Unlike most sharks, hammerhead sharks often swim in groupsespecially during the migration period.
Lifestyle and behavior
⚡ How does a hammerhead shark behave?
• Hunts at night
• Often forms large flocks (up to hundreds of individuals)
• It has a very developed sense of smell and electroreception
🔍 Basic hunting strategies:
• A wide head helps to quickly turn and attack the victim
• Excellent binocular vision allows you to estimate the distance to the prey
• Electroreceptors detect fish and rays hidden in the sand
📌 Interesting!
This shark it can detect the electrical impulses of its victim's hearteven if it's buried in the sand!
Food
🍽 What does the hammerhead shark eat?
• Stingrays (main food)
• Fish and cephalopods
• Crayfish, squid, and octopus
• Juvenile sharks and small marine mammals
📌 Interesting!
Hammerhead Sharks immune to the venom of electric rayswhich they actively hunt.
Reproduction
👶 How does the hammerhead shark breed?
• Viviparous-gives birth to formed cubs
• Pregnancy lasts 10-12 months
• 15-50 baby sharks are born (depending on the size of the female)
📌 Interesting!
Small hammerhead sharks are born completely independent and they immediately start hunting.
Human interaction
⚠ Is the hammerhead shark dangerous?
• It has a relatively calm character
• Only a few cases of attacks on people have been recorded
• Humans are not her typical prey
🎣 Shark fishing:
• Massively caught through fins (for shark fin soup)
• The population is declining sharply due to fishing
📌 Interesting!
Due to overfishing the common hammerhead shark is an endangered species.
Interesting facts
📌 TOP 5 Interesting facts about the Hammerhead Shark:
1️⃣ The only shark that hunts in groups
2️⃣ It has one of the best visual aids among sharks
3️⃣ Its brain is significantly larger than that of most other sharks
4️⃣ It lives in tropical waters, but makes long-distance migrations
5️⃣ Can give birth to up to 50 cubs at a time!
Conclusion
Common Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini) – a unique shark, distinguished by its unusual head and high intelligence. It plays an important role in ocean ecosystems, but human activity has significantly reduced its numbers.
🌊 Let's save the hammerhead shark-one of the smartest sharks in the world!
