Great Hammerhead Shark

Facts about Great Hammerhead Sharks, "Scientific name for Great Hammerhead Shark is Sphyrna mokarran". The Great Hammerhead Shark is one of the most famous breed of sharks across the globe. Great Hammerhead Shark is an amazing creature belonging to the family of Sphyrnidae. Great Hammerhead Shark is usually found in tropical, coastal areas and in warm temperate waters around the world. Great Hammerhead Shark is the largest species among the breeds of hammerhead sharks and measures around 20 feet (6.09 meters)in length and at length at birth is 20 to 27 inches (56 to 70 cm). Mature Great Hammerhead sharks usually weight approximately 992 to 1102 pounds (450 to 500 kg).


Physical Attributes of Great Hammerhead Shark

Great Hammerhead sharks have flat, T-shaped heads an attribute that makes them to stand from the rest of other breeds of sharks. They have wide eyes which enables them to have a more enhanced and wider visual range. Their teeth are triangular and jagged. The upper jaw Great Hammerhead Shark has 17 teeth on either side and the lower jaw has 16 to 17 teeth on either side.

In adult Great Hammerhead sharks, the fins are unmarked but in juveniles the tip of the second dorsal fin is dark. The skin of this species of sharks is covered with dermal denticles and each denticle is diamond shape and has 3 to 5 horizontal ridges. Great Hammerhead Sharks skin is made of denticles instead of scales like other fish. The denticles are constructed like hard, sharp teeth (tooth-like projection) and this helps to protect the shark from being injury. In coloration, the Great Hammerhead Shark is light gray while others are dark brown.

Feeding of Great Hammerhead Shark

The Great Hammerhead Sharks feed on a number of animals including crabs, tarpon, toadfish, squids, groupers, sea catfish, herrings, jacks, sardines and box fish. They also feed on other sharks, cow nose rays, sting rays and eagle rays. The Great Hammerhead Shark usually hunt for their prey at dawn and dusk.

Habitat and Geographical Distribution of Great Hammerhead Shark

The Great Hammerhead Shark species can be spotted near the shoreline and also very far off shore. They are usually found in tropical and temperate waters and can also survive in coral reefs, sandy plains, fresh waters, rocky reefs, estuaries and intertidal waters. The Great Hammerhead Shark are distributed in many parts of the world including West African, Southeast Asian, Western North Atlantic, Western Australian, South Pacific, Eastern North Atlantic and many more.

Reproduction of Great Hammerhead Shark

The Great Hammerhead Sharks reproduce in a viviparous manner. What this means is that the fertilized eggs hatch in mother shark uterus and give birth to live, healthy pups. The gestation period lasts for 11 months and the shark can give birth to a litter of around 13 to 56 pups.

There are over 400 types of sharks, Sharks have the most powerful jaws on on earth. Great Hammerhead Sharks jaws, both the upper and lower jaws move. The Great Hammerhead Shark is carnivores meaning: an animal that feeds on flesh (Meat). "Scientific name for Shark Selachimorpha"
"Fear of Sharks Selachophobia"