Hammerhead Shark

hammerheadsharklabrecque
Photo credit: Michel Labreque, Plongee Diving

The hammer shape of the hammerhead shark gives it its name. Its eyes are positioned on either side of the hammer, which gives them the ability to see what’s above and below them. Strangely enough, their mouths are quite small in contrast to their unusual head. During the day, they swim in schools but hunt alone at night.

Hammerheads are light gray with a little green tint and their bellies are white which help camouflage them when hunting prey. A single litter of pups is produced once a year, typically numbering between 12 and 15. The pups are born live but are left on their own and will swim together until they can fend for themselves. The sharks can grow up to 20 feet long.

The diet of the hammerhead shark includes other sharks, stingrays, crustaceans, octopus, squid and many types of fish. They use their head in the hunting process, often pinning down their prey, in particular, stingrays.

 

Text source: Wikipedia under Creative Commons licence.

© Copyright Vince Capone 2013