Great Hammerhead Shark
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| Great Hammerhead | ||||||||||||||
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| Sphyrna mokarran (Rüppell, 1837) |
The great hammerhead shark, Sphyrna mokarran, is the largest species of hammerhead sharks.
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Distribution
The great hammerhead shark is found worldwide in coastal areas and above continental shelves in warm and tropical waters to depths of 80m (260 ft).
Anatomy and appearance
It is easy to confuse this shark with the smooth hammerhead, since both are very large hammerhead sharks. The color is olive brown with a lighter underside. The largest reported size is 6.1m, but normal size is about 4m.
Diet
Great hammerhead sharks eat small sharks, rays and sting rays, squid and bony fish. The great hammerhead have evolved a defense against the venom of sting rays. They hunt alone.
Behavior
When encountered by divers, the great hammerhead is usually quite shy and normally not aggressive towards divers. However, it is considered one of the more dangerous sharks.
Reproduction
Great hammerheads are viviparous. They give birth to a litter of between 6–42 young. The gestation period is 11 months. Size at birth is about .60–.70m. Females mature at about 2.10–2.50m and males at about 2.25–2.70m.