Scalloped hammerhead shark

Scalloped hammerhead shark

 

Scientific name : Sphyrna lewini
Family : Sphyrnidae
Size : Up to 360 cm
Depth : Up to 300 m
Distribution : Circumtropical, Indo-Pacific, Atlantic

 

Morphology : It is olive-grey-brown and white on the belly. The body is elongated and compressed laterally with a broad, flattened head. It owes its name to the shape of its head : scalloped means “sea horn”.

 

Biology : It lives alone or in schools in search of fish, cephalopods or crustaceans on which it feeds. It is the most common hammerhead shark. It is a viviparous species (the embryo grows inside the female’s belly). It gives birth to 15 to 30 young.

 

IUCN red list : Critically endangered