Hammerhead shark family / Sphyrnidae

The hammerhead shark family includes 2 genera with seven species. Hammerhead sharks are closely related gray sharks, but differ from them, as well as from all other fish, in their unique head shape. It is strongly flattened from top to bottom and has two large outgrowths on the sides, on the outer edges of which there are eyes, and slightly away from them there are large nostrils. If you look at the head of such a shark from above, it really strongly resembles a hammer or sledgehammer. This shape of the front part of the body apparently makes it easier for the shark to maneuver in a vertical plane, and the widely spaced nasal openings give the hammerhead shark the ability to more accurately orient itself in relation to the source of a particular smell. All of them have a predominantly tropical distribution. Hammerhead sharks are fast and strong swimmers, found equally in the coastal strip and in open waters. They often even enter brackish waters. The food of hammerhead sharks consists of a variety of bottom invertebrates (shrimp, crabs, clams), fish (herring, mackerel), and squid. In the stomachs of large individuals, stingrays are most often found (more than 50 tail spines of stingrays were found in the stomach walls of one specimen) and sharks, including their fellow species. There is a known case when a caught giant hammerhead shark, about 4 m long, was only partially pulled out of the water when an even larger representative of the same species attacked the suspended shark and bit off its entire tail part down to the pelvic fins. Hammerhead sharks reproduce by ovoviviparity or viviparity. In one litter the female bears different types from 6-9 to 30-40 babies, and newborn sharks, similar in all proportions to adults, have a length of 45-50 cm. Large hammerhead sharks pose a significant danger to people in the water. Human body parts were found in their stomachs, and many attacks that took place in front of numerous spectators are documented. One such attack took place on a crowded beach off the coast of Florida, just 60 meters from the shore. The girl who was attacked was seriously injured, but was pulled out of the water by the lifeguard on duty. At the same time, the hammerhead shark accompanied its escaped prey all the way to the shore. Commercial significance Hammerhead sharks are scarce, but in some areas they are harvested for their meat, skin, and liver oil. Hammerhead sharks, which offer stubborn resistance when caught, are also considered very honorable trophies for marine fishermen.

Hammerhead shark /Sphyrna zygaena

Hammerhead shark / Sphyrna mokarran

This animal belongs to the class of cartilaginous fish and is part of the order Carchariformes. The family to which the hammerhead fish belongs is called hammerhead sharks.

Marine fauna – mysterious world. More and more often, he reveals his secrets to us, revealing strange animals to the world, many of which are dangerous to humans. One of these creatures can be called a shark. There are many varieties of these fish, some of them have the most bizarre shapes. For example, hammerhead fish.

Hypotheses about the origin of the head shape of predatory fish are very different. Some scientists suggest that this is the result of a mutation that once occurred common shark, which subsequently gave birth to offspring. And some consider the formation of a hammerhead to be a consequence of evolution.

What is the appearance of the hammerhead shark and how does it differ from other fish?

The main “highlight” in the appearance of this fish is undoubtedly its head, or, more precisely, its shape. The front part ends in long and narrow projections diverging horizontally to the sides. This whole “structure” resembles a construction tool – a hammer. Hence the name of the animal.

The body length of the hammerhead fish reaches three meters, but there are specimens that grow up to 6 meters! Such a giant representative of this species was once caught in New Zealand. That shark weighed more than 360 kilograms!

The color of hammerhead fish is, in most cases, grayish-brown or gray. The abdominal part of the animal's body differs from the back in a slightly lighter tone.

Hammerhead fish habitats on planet Earth

The hammerhead shark is a resident of temperate and warm waters. Its populations inhabit the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

Hammerhead shark lifestyle

An amazing fact about this fish was recently discovered by scientists. It turns out that while in shallow water, mainly for young animals, the sun affects the shark’s skin, and it begins to darken... Researchers called this phenomenon the tanning effect. Who would have thought that sea animals also love to sunbathe!

As for other habits of the animal, it can be noted that these sharks have excellent vision. Despite the fact that the eyes on the muzzle are not so close to each other, this does not deprive their owner of vigilance, but on the contrary, it adds it. This natural “device” helps the hammerhead fish to see prey not only in front of itself, but also to perfectly capture the slightest movement from the sides. The shark sees all objects with both eyes at once.

The hammerhead fish has very powerful muscles and strong fins, which allow it to develop high speeds and instantly overtake prey. And the massive head serves as a kind of stabilizer of movement and helps the animal maneuver in the water column.

Hammerhead shark feeding

The daily diet of this predator of ocean waters includes crayfish, stingrays and a variety of mollusks.

Reproduction of hammerhead fish

During the spawning period, these fish lay eggs that contain embryos - the embryos of future sharks. It is worth noting that before laying eggs, female sharks carry eggs inside themselves for almost 8 months. In mid-spring, young sharks are born. The size of the young is from 32 to 45 centimeters in length. When juvenile hammerhead sharks reach a height of 110 centimeters, they become sexually mature.

Natural enemies of hammerhead fish

Due to its size, powerful jaws, and overall creepy appearance, this predator has no direct enemies in its habitat. It is unlikely that any of the underwater animals will dare to attack such a monster. It is not recommended for people to approach this insidious creature.

The hammerhead shark has a special head shape - widened and flattened, similar to a hammer, which is why it got its name.

There are 9 species of these sharks in total. The size of the hammerhead shark reaches 0.9-6 meters, and the weight ranges from 3 to 580 kilograms. Despite the complex and rather strange shape of the head, the shark’s body is completely streamlined, thanks to which it is capable of developing high speeds.

The hammerhead shark is found in the tropical coasts of the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In the open ocean, the shark can rarely be found; it mainly stays at a depth of no more than 400 meters. Although such a depth is quite far from the shore, it is not so deep that vacationers should not be afraid of this predator, because the hammerhead, like any shark, instinctively attacks all living things. Only 4 out of 9 species of hammerhead sharks are dangerous to humans.

Appearance

The hammerhead shark uses a simple hunting tactic - it swims along the bottom, and when it notices the prey, it presses it to the bottom or crushes it with its head, after which it eats it.

The world that is close to us, but difficult to study and observe, is undersea world. Despite the fact that it is very close, it has been studied less than the surface of Mars. Nevertheless, people are interested in the unusual, and sometimes mysterious, inhabitants of this kingdom. Even toy manufacturers are stirring up this interest: for example, the giant hammerhead shark CO.MAXI, released not long ago by DeAgostini, makes children wonder what kind of creature this is, how it lives and how dangerous it is.

Description

The body of this fish is similar to that of its relatives, except for the unique shape of the skull. The giant hammerhead shark is the largest representative of not only the hammerhead family, but also one of the largest sharks in general. Apart from the Arctic, these fish can be found in all oceans. This predator often appears even off the rather cold shores of the Primorsky Territory of Russia - in the summer they are frequent guests in the Sea of ​​Japan.

It is noticeably different from its relatives in the unique structure of the skull - on the head of the fish there is a growth in the shape of a regular rectangle. Its span is 25-27% of the entire body, while the anterior edge is curved very slightly. This shark's mouth is shaped like a strongly curved sickle. The teeth are quite small, triangular, their edges are jagged. There are 17 rows of teeth in the upper jaw of a shark, and 16-17 in the lower jaw.

All shark fins are shaped like a sickle. The largest is the anterior dorsal one. Distinctive feature of young individuals is the dark corner of the posterior dorsal fin. The trailing edge of all fins has significant curvature.

The body is unevenly colored: dark brown, gray and olive on the back, very light, almost white, on the belly. No spots or patterns were observed on any individual.

The giant hammerhead shark, the description of which can kill the desire to frolic in the ocean waves, has such a name for a reason. The average body length is 4-5 meters. However, there were also much more large specimens. It is not uncommon for fish to be about 6 meters long, but the largest shark caught was 7.89 m long. The weight of the most impressive individuals can exceed 500 kg. Heaviest weight was recorded in a female pregnant with fifty-five cubs - 580 kg.

Habitat

The giant hammerhead shark does not have a clear habitat - it likes to travel to different regions. You can see it both in the island and shelf zones of the seas and oceans. It is found both in temperate latitudes and in tropical latitudes.

The Atlantic Ocean is “mastered” by sharks from Uruguay to North Carolina, from Senegal to Morocco. Fish swim into the Mediterranean and Caribbean seas, into the Gulf of Mexico.

In the Pacific and Indian oceans, the giant hammerhead shark is found almost everywhere: both off the coast of Australia and off Polynesia. You can meet it from Peru to Southern California.

There is information, but it is not documented, that individual specimens were caught off the coast of Mauritania, Gambia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. The shark prefers to spend time in coastal areas, hunting in the water column from the surface to at least 80 meters deep. Prefers to live in lagoons and coral reefs. It may choose a cozy place on the slopes of the islands or look for deep-sea places near the shore.

It has been noted that sharks are subject to seasonal migrations: warm time years are sent to higher latitudes.

Nutrition

The giant hammerhead shark, like any other representative of this species of fish, is a predator. It feeds mostly on bony fish, crustaceans, reef (and if you're lucky, even larger) sharks, and stingrays. Loves very much seahorses and poisonous stingrays. The spines of stingrays do not interfere with the predator at all - there are known cases when hundreds of these tools were stuck in the belly of a caught individual. Sometimes attacks marine mammals. There are known cases of attacks on people.

Behavior

For the most part, hammerhead sharks are loners. For hunting they use electrosensory senses, smell and binocular vision.

Reproduction

The giant hammerhead shark, a photo of which can make you give up diving, produces offspring every two years. The gestation period of embryos is 11 months. One litter can contain from 6 to 55 cubs, but such a number is rare. On average, fish bring from 20 to 40 fry. The length of newborns is 50-70 cm.

Unlike other sharks, these sharks prefer to mate near the surface of the water. Puberty occurs when the female grows to 2.5-3 meters. Males only need to reach 2.3-2.7 meters in length.

These fish live on average 20-30 years, but there are also those whose life lasts more than half a century.

Danger

In the ranking of the most dangerous creatures for humans, this fish is in the top ten (among ocean inhabitants). However, in reality, shark attacks do not occur very often. Divers who met her in the water claim that most often she does not show aggression, but only curiosity. However, you shouldn’t rely too much on this when you sink to the bottom. More than one is known per person.

The main reason for the rarity of cannibalism among these sharks is its infrequent occurrence in densely populated areas. The most cases of attacks were recorded in the Philippines, Hawaii and the Florida Islands - it is in these areas that most hammerhead sharks prefer to breed.

Fishing

Despite the high danger of this fish for humans, the latter poses a much greater danger to the entire species. High taste qualities shark fins have led to active fishing for this fish. They are especially fond of it in Asian countries - in these regions fish are being destroyed at a gigantic rate. Currently, its numbers are very small and continue to decline. These days, the hammerhead shark is endangered. It is for this reason that it was listed in the International Red Book. Which, however, does not prevent certain groups of people from continuing to engage in its fishing.

The giant hammerhead shark (lat. Spyrna mokkaran) is the largest representative of the family (Sphyrnidae). Some specimens can reach a body length of up to 610 cm. This predatory fish is larger in size than (Sphyrna zygaena) and can be dangerous to humans. The first description of the species was made in 1837 by the German zoologist Eduard Rüppel.

Spreading

The giant hammerhead shark is found in all waters of the World Ocean in tropical and sub-tropical zones. tropical climate. IN Atlantic Ocean it is most often observed from the southeastern coast of the United States and Mexico to the southern coasts of Brazil, and from Morocco to Senegal near the African continent. IN Indian Ocean the shark lives in all coastal regions, and in Pacific region from California to Peru in the west and from South-East Asia to the northwest coast of Australia. Occasionally it appears in the Red and even the Mediterranean Sea.

The habitat of this species is between 40° north and 37° south latitude.

The fish like to migrate to coral reefs and shallow waters close to the continental shelf. If necessary, it dives to depths of up to 80 m, and in extreme cases up to 300 m.

Behavior

Fish go fishing at dusk or at the beginning of the night.

In searching for prey, they rely on many senses, of which main role played by the ampullae of Lorenzini, which capture electric fields and react even to their insignificant changes. They are located mainly on the head near the snout, eyes and nostrils and are tubes-channels with a jelly-like mucous substance that open into small pores on the surface of the skin. Several nerve fibers approach the ampullae of Lorenzini, through which the received signals enter the brain. Thanks to their use, it is possible to very accurately localize the location of a potential victim. With a sharp movement of its large head, the hammerhead shark presses the stingray from above to the bottom, depriving it of the ability to move and inflicting fatal bites.

Reproduction

Sexual maturity in males reaches a body length of 230-270 cm, and in females 210-250 cm. The species is one of the viviparous sharks. Offspring are born exclusively in the tropical climate zone. Depending on the habitat, mating in surface layers of water and births occur in spring and early summer north of the equator, and off the coast of Australia in December and January.
The duration of pregnancy is 330-360 days. After the contents of the yolk sacs are consumed, the embryos begin to feed on the mother's blood through the resulting placental connection. The female usually brings 20-40 sharks. At birth, their body length is 50-70 cm, and they lack the hammer-shaped head structure characteristic of adults, which appears with the onset of puberty. The young try in every possible way to avoid meeting their older fellow tribesmen, who actively practice cannibalism towards them. The greatest threat to the younger generation is represented by (Galeocerdo cuvier) and (Carcharodon carcharias).

Description

The average length of adult individuals is 450-550 cm, and weight is 220-450 kg. The anterior edge of the head is almost straight, and its width reaches 25% of the length of the body. The back is gray-brown, olive-brown or grey colour. The ventral side is predominantly white, a little less often slightly grayish.
The eyes are located at the edges of the “hammer”. During swimming, the head rotates in a horizontal plane to the left and right. The very large dorsal fin is located in the middle of the back. The additional dorsal fin is much smaller and is located closer to the tail. The caudal fin is located strictly vertically, it top part more than the bottom. The pectoral fins are triangular in shape. The thick skin is covered with placoid diamond-shaped scales. Sharp triangular teeth with jagged ends are arranged in rows in each jaw, 17 on each side. There are 2-3 teeth on the symphysis (cartilaginous junction). Basking hammerhead sharks typically live 20-30 years. Some specimens live up to 50 years of age.