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Scalloped Hammerhead Shark

Sphyrna lewini

Summary 2

The scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) is a species of hammerhead shark, family Sphyrnidae. Originally Zygaena lewini, it was later moved to its current name. The Greek word sphyrna translates into "hammer" in English, referring to the shape of this shark's head. The most distinguishing characteristic of this shark, as in all hammerheads, is the 'hammer' on its head. The shark's eyes and nostrils are at the tips of the extensions. This is a fairly large hammerhead,...

Description 3

  Common names: hammerhead (English), shark (English), cornuda (Espanol), tiburón (Espanol)
 
Sphyrna lewini (Griffith & Smith, 1834)


  Scalloped hammerhead,     Scalloped hammerhead shark



A large hammerhead shark with broad hammer (width 24-30% of TL),  narrow-bladed side extensions on the head; front margin of head broadly convex, and scalloped due to a prominent middle indentation, a more conspicuous notch near the end of each side of the hammer (which sets off the end lobe bearing the eye), and a slight indentation in front margin between the central and side notches on each side; front teeth blade-like, with 1 point, upper teeth oblique, deeply notched on rear side, lower teeth straight, rear teeth like front teeth; first dorsal fin moderately large and erect, rounded tip, rear margin concave; 2nd  dorsal fin small, height < length of 3rd  gill slit; free rear tip of second dorsal fin nearly reaching caudal fin; base of anal fin noticeably larger than that of second dorsal fin; pelvics with ~ straight rear edge; transverse pit above tail base crescent shaped, a pit below tail base; tail fin strongly asymmetrical, notched under tip of top lobe, large lower lobe.

Brownish grey, shading to white ventrally; undersides of pectoral fins tipped with black.

Size: attains 430 cm; size at birth 42-55 cm.


Habitat: coastal and oceanic, young in shallow muddy areas.

Depth: 0-275 m.

Worldwide in tropical and warm temperate seas, California to northern Peru, plus all the oceanic islands.
   

National distribution 4

United States
Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Morphology 5

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 0; Analspines: 0; Analsoft rays: 0

Size 6

Maximum size: 4200 mm NG

Description 7

A coastal-pelagic, semi-oceanic shark occurring over the continental and insular shelves. Young form schools and forage near the bottom, migrating to deeper outer reef waters as they grow. Adults solitary or in pairs. Feeds on fishes, including other sharks and rays (Ref. 1602), cephalopods, and crustaceans; also on turtles (Ref. 2334). Non-aggressive unless stimulated by fish blood. Utilized: fresh, dried-salted, smoked and frozen; also sought for fins and hides (Ref. 9987). Game fish record weighed almost 450 kg (Ref. 9987).

I dnature guides 8

Identification key for shorefishes of the tropical eastern Pacific

Habitat 9

Habitat Type: Marine

Life cycle 10

Viviparous, placental (Ref. 50449), with 13-23 in a litter (Ref. 6871); 12-41 pups after a gestation period of 9-10 months (Ref.58048). Size at birth 45-50 cm TL (Ref. 13562); 39-57 cm TL (Ref.58048).

Reproduction 11

Egg Type: Live birth, No pelagic larva

Link to Access Genomic Data 12

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=7823&lvl=0

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) John E. Randall, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://d1iraxgbwuhpbw.cloudfront.net/images/species/splew_u0.jpg
  2. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphyrna_lewini
  3. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Shorefishes of the tropical eastern Pacific online information system. www.stri.org/sftep, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/26219491
  4. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28868685
  5. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) FishBase, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/20846749
  6. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) FishWise Professional, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/24187889
  7. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) WoRMS for SMEBD, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/28495885
  8. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Discover Life and original sources, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11586750
  9. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28868687
  10. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) FishBase, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/20846753
  11. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Shorefishes of the tropical eastern Pacific online information system. www.stri.org/sftep, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/2758296
  12. (c) matbio, all rights reserved

More Info

Range Map

(c) Shorefishes of the tropical eastern Pacific online information system. www.stri.org/sftep, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

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