| Photo |
Great hammerhead
© Jeremy Stafford Deitsch
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| Range Map |
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| Systematics |
Phylum: Vertebates (Chordata)
Class: Carlilagenous Fishes (Chondrichthyes)
Order: Ground sharks (Carcharhiniformes)
Family: Bonnethead sharks (Sphyrnidae)
Genus: Sphyrna (Sphyrna)
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| Name |
| Scientific: | Sphyrna mokarran |
| German: | Grosser Hammerhai |
| English: | Great hammerhead |
| French: | Grand requin-marteau |
| Spanish: | Cornuda gigante |
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| Appearance |
Very large hammerhead shark. Anterior head margin nearly straight, with a median indentation. First dorsal fin very long, erect and falcate with the rear tip in front of the pelvic fin"s origin. Second dorsal fin is high with a concave posterior margin. Falcate pelvic fins.
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| Coloration |
Bronze to grey-brown with white ventral surface. Adults have no markings on fins, while in juveniles the second dorsal fin tip is dusky colored.
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| Distribution |
Circumtropical. Western Atlantic: North Carolina to Brazil, Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas, Caribbean. Eastern Atlantic: Morocco, Senegal. Indo-West Pacific: East Coast of Africa (Natal to Mozambique). Red Sea, India, Thailand. Western Pacific: China, Taiwan, Australia, New Caledonia, French Polynesia. Eastern Pacific: Southern Baja California to Panama, Ecuador to northern Peru.
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| Biology |
Can be found close inshore and well offshore to depth of about 80 m. This species favors coral reefs (continental and insular). It is a migrating species with some populations (off of Florida and China) moving poleward in the summer.
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| Feeding |
Fishes (big variety), sharks but strongly favors stingrays.
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| Size |
Average size between 400 cm and 500 cm, total maximum size about 610 cm.
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| Reproduction |
Viviparous, with yolksac-placenta (gives birth to live young). Litter size between 12 and 40 pups. Size at birth between 50 cm and 70 cm. Gestation period at least 7 months. Males reach sexual maturity at 240 cm to 270 cm, female at 250 cm to 300 cm.
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| Endangerment |
Status in the IUCN
Red List(1994):
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| Main criterion: |
 DD (Data Deficient) |
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| Trend: |
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| Danger to Humans |
Potentially dangerous.
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