Hammerhead Shark Facts - Photos - Earth's Endangered Creatures

Scientific Name:

Sphyrna mokarran

Other Names and/or Listed subspecies:

Great Hammerhead, Squat-headed Hammerhead Shark

Group:

Fishes

Status/Date Listed as Endangered:

EN-IUCN: 2007

Area(s) Where Listed As Endangered:

Africa, Asia, Australia, Central and South America, Middle East, Oceanic, United States

Creature Profile

The hammerhead shark is a very large shark that is easy to recognize because of its wide, hammer-shaped head. Its back is light gray or brown, and its belly is white. Young hammerheads have a slightly curved front on their heads, while adults have a straighter front. Their first dorsal fin is tall and curved, and their other fins are smaller but shaped with deep curves. The eyes are at the ends of the hammer, and the mouth is on the underside. Adult hammerheads usually weigh between 881 and 1,013 pounds.

These sharks eat a wide variety of animals, but their favorite prey is stingrays, even though stingrays have dangerous barbs. They also feed on squid, crabs, small fish, sea catfish, other sharks, groupers, lobsters, and even other hammerheads. They live in many places, from shallow coastal waters to deep offshore areas, near islands, and inside coral lagoons. Hammerheads migrate in the summer toward cooler waters near the poles. They give birth to live young, usually once every two years. Females become mature at about 118 inches long, and after an 11-month pregnancy, they can give birth to as many as 40 pups at a time. Newborn pups are about 27.6 inches long and have rounder heads that flatten as they grow.

Hammerhead sharks face many dangers, especially from fishing that is not well controlled. They are often caught in nets and on hooks, and because they do not reproduce quickly, their numbers are shrinking. There are no special conservation programs just for this species. However, they are listed under international agreements like the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the IUCN Red List. Scientists still do not know exactly how many hammerheads are left in the wild, but their population continues to fall.

Wikipedia Article

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Wikipedia Article
Copyright Notice: This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Great hammerhead".

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Hammerhead Shark Facts Last Updated:
September 25, 2025

To Cite This Page:
Mugo, C. R. 2025. "Earth's Endangered Creatures - Hammerhead Shark Facts" (Online). Accessed 5/16/2026 at https://earthsendangered.com/profile.asp?sp=4673&ID=11.

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« Previous Page

Hammerhead Shark Facts Last Updated:
September 25, 2025

To Cite This Page:
Mugo, C. R. 2025. "Earth's Endangered Creatures - Hammerhead Shark Facts" (Online). Accessed 5/16/2026 at https://earthsendangered.com/profile.asp?sp=4673&ID=11.

Need more Hammerhead Shark facts?

Custom Search

The Seven Sea Turtle Species of the World

Sea turtles are graceful saltwater reptiles, well adapted to life at sea. Unlike turtles on land, sea turtles cannot retract their legs and head. But with streamlined bodies and flipper-like limbs, they are graceful swimmers able to navigate across the oceans of the world.

Here, we look at the seven species that can be found today, all of which are said to have been around since the time of the dinosaurs.