Hammerhead Sharks on Shark Week

hammerheadsharkOne of the neatest varieties of shark is the Hammerhead Shark!

Why?
Well, because it’s head actually looks like a hammer with their head flattened and that extends laterally to make that strange shape. The hammerhead’s eyes and nostrils are at the tips of the hammer extensions.

Wow – How neat is that?

The largest hammer on a hammerhead shark is the winghead shark.

wingheadshark

These sharks use their heads to sweep for prey and since all sharks have electroreceptory, hammerheads have an advantage because these pores along their “snout” are more extensive than other sharks.

Although they have a “big head”, hammerhead sharks have relatively small mouths, so they do a lot of bottom feeding on prey on or in the sand.

During the day, they like to swim in schools, but at night, they go solitary to hunt!

Are They Dangerous to Humans?
Of the 9 known species of hammerhead shark, 3 are dangerous to humans – the scalloped, great and smooth hammerhead.

Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Carcharhiniformes
Family: Sphyrnidae
Genus: Sphyrna
Species: There are 9 Species of Hammerhead Shark

Conservation Status: The Scalloped Hammerhead is on the Red List and Endangered and the Smalleye Hammerhead is Vulnerable.

***

I hope you enjoyed this Shark Week post on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards :)

P.S. For more information on the Hammerhead Shark and how they survive in the ocean, check out this awesome book:

Survival in the Sea: The Story of a Hammerhead Shark [With Plush Hammerhead Shark] Survival in the Sea: The Story of a Hammerhead Shark [With Plush Hammerhead Shark]

General ; Children’s Books / Ages 4-8 Fiction, Survival in the Sea: The Story of a Hammerhead Shark [With Plush Hammerhead Shark]



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3 Responses
  1. Floost says:

    Very interesting and amusing subject. I read with great pleasure.

  2. Kimberly says:

    Thanks Floost! So glad you liked it.

    Come on back again soon,

    Kimberly :)

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