This unusual creature appeared about 40 million years ago. years ago. They live in the warm subtropical waters of the ocean, often appearing in the coastal zone.
Appearance and lifestyle
Reaches a maximum body length of 7 meters, and weight reaches a ton. The shark's strong, streamlined and flexible body allows it to swim quickly and quietly. She performs sharp turns at high speed.
She has a large dorsal fin, i.e. rather tall. The top of the body is gray, the belly is white, the tips of the fins are dark gray. Most striking is the shape of the head of this unusual fish, which is flattened and strongly elongated on the sides.
No less surprising are the bulging yellow eyes, which are located on the sides of the wonderful head. Her eyes are protected by movable eyelids. Here, on the sides, not far from the eyes are the nostrils. What is happening ahead, she does not see, often turns her head and relies on her sense of smell.
But why does the fish have such a strange head? There is still no exact answer to this question, there are only hypotheses and assumptions. Researchers have found that there are many electrosensory zones on its face, more than other sharks.
They help to catch the exact location of prey to the predator, both at long distances and in narrow areas. For example, if a stingray lurks in the bottom sand, it will easily determine its location. He has no chance of being saved.
The mouth of the predator is located below, under the snout, and the eyes are “well hidden”, therefore, having grabbed the stingray, she is not afraid of blows with a tail with spikes, the defending victim. After all, he will not hurt the predator, he simply will not reach the vulnerable places.
Her teeth are sawtooth and sharp, growing in several rows. It bites, it bites. Unlike many other species, the hammerhead shark is sociable and often gathers in packs. They give each other various signs with head and body movements.
Nutrition
The hammerhead shark feeds on fish, stingrays, squid, and other sharks. They hunt alone at night and gather in packs during the day. In shallow waters, it can tan, its body becomes brownish.
No other animal seems to be able to get a suntan. Rarely attacks a person. Most likely this happens during the breeding season.
reproduction
The pregnancy will last about a year. This is a viviparous individual, it can give birth to up to 40 sharks. The born cubs are head down, they swim nimbly, their body length is up to 50 cm. First, the cubs lose weight. They look like their parents, only small in size, and the head of the babies is soft and bends easily.
In shallow water, they learn to hunt, acquiring the skills of this not an easy task. You also need to have cunning, and not get caught by other predators for lunch. The sooner they learn to defend themselves, the more likely they are to survive. The grown up young generation, having gained strength, leaves the coastal zones.
Lifespan
IN wild nature The hammerhead shark lives for about 40 years.
- Class - Cartilaginous fish
- Squad - Carchariformes
- Family - Hammerhead sharks
- Genus - Hammerfish
- Species - Hammerhead Shark
The world that is close to us, but difficult to study and observe, is the underwater world. Despite the fact that it is very close, it has been studied less than the surface of Mars. Nevertheless, people are interested in unusual, and sometimes mysterious, inhabitants of this kingdom. Even toy manufacturers are fueling this interest: for example, the giant hammerhead shark CO.MAXI, released not so long ago by DeAgostini, makes children wonder what kind of creature it is, how it lives and how dangerous it is.
Description
The body of this fish is similar to that of its relatives, except for the unique shape of the skull. The giant hammerhead shark is the largest representative of not only the hammerhead family, but also one of the largest sharks in general. In addition to the Arctic, these fish can be found in all oceans. Often this predator appears even near the rather cold coast of the Primorsky Territory of Russia - in summer they are frequent guests in the Sea of Japan.
It noticeably differs from relatives in the unique structure of the skull - on the head of the fish there is an outgrowth in the shape of a regular rectangle. Its span is 25-27% of the entire body, while the anterior margin is curved very slightly. The mouth of this shark is in the form of a strongly curved sickle. The teeth are rather small, triangular, their edge is serrated. In the upper jaw of a shark there are 17 dentitions, in the lower - 16-17.
All shark fins are sickle-shaped. The largest is the anterior dorsal. Distinctive feature juveniles is the dark corner of the posterior dorsal fin. The trailing edge of all fins has significant curvature.
The body is unevenly colored: dark brown, gray and olive on the back, very light, almost white, on the belly. No spots or patterns were observed in any individual.
The giant hammerhead shark, the description of which can kill the desire to frolic in the ocean waves, does not have such a name for nothing. The average body length is 4-5 meters. However, there were also much larger specimens. It is not uncommon for fish having a length of about 6 meters, the largest shark caught was 7.89 m long. The weight of the most impressive individuals can exceed 500 kg. highest weight was registered in a female pregnant with fifty-five cubs - 580 kg.
Habitat
The giant hammerhead shark does not have a clear habitat - it likes to travel in different regions. You can see it both in the island and in the shelf zone of the seas and oceans. She meets as temperate latitudes as well as in the tropics.
The Atlantic Ocean is "mastered" by sharks from Uruguay to North Carolina, from Senegal to Morocco. Fish swim in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, in the Gulf of Mexico.
in the Pacific and Indian Oceans giant hammerhead shark found almost everywhere: both off the coast of Australia and off Polynesia. You can meet her from Peru to Southern California.
There is information, but it is not documented, that individual specimens were caught off the coast of Mauritania, the Gambia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. The shark prefers to spend time in coastal areas, hunting in the water column from the surface to at least 80 meters deep. It prefers to live in lagoons and coral reefs. It can choose a cozy place for itself on the slopes of the islands or find deep-sea places near the coast.
It has been noticed that sharks are subject to seasonal migrations: in the warm season they go to higher latitudes.
Nutrition
The giant hammerhead shark, like any other representative of this species of fish, is a predator. It feeds mainly on bony fish, crustaceans, reef (and if you're lucky, then larger) sharks, rays. He loves seahorses and poisonous rays. The thorns of the stingrays do not interfere with the predator at all - there are cases when hundreds of these tools were stuck in the belly of a caught individual. Sometimes attacks marine mammals. There have been cases of attacks on people.
Behavior
For the most part, hammerhead sharks are loners. For hunting, they use electrosensory sense organs, sense of smell and binocular vision.
reproduction
The giant hammerhead shark, whose photo can make you give up diving, is the offspring of her appears every two years. The period of gestation of embryos is 11 months. In one litter there can be from 6 to 55 cubs, however, this number is not common. On average, fish bring from 20 to 40 fry. The length of newborns is 50-70 cm.
Unlike other sharks, these sharks prefer to mate near the surface of the water. Puberty occurs when the female grows to 2.5-3 meters. Males need to reach the mark of "only" 2.3-2.7 meters in length.
These fish live on average 20-30 years, but there are those whose life lasts more than half a century.
Danger
In the ranking of the most dangerous creatures for humans, this fish is in the top ten (among the inhabitants of the ocean). However, the shark does not really attack so often. Divers who met her in the water claim that most often she does not show aggression, but only curiosity. However, don't rely on it too much as you sink to the bottom. Not one is known per person.
The main reason for the rarity of cannibalism among these sharks is its infrequent appearance in densely populated areas. The Philippines, Hawaii, and the Florida Islands have seen the most attacks, as most hammerhead sharks breed in these areas.
fishing
Despite the high danger of this fish to humans, the latter poses a much greater danger to the whole species. High taste qualities shark fins have led to an active fishery for this fish. They are especially loved in Asian countries - in these regions, fish are destroyed at a gigantic pace. Currently, its number is very small and continues to decline. Today, the hammerhead shark is endangered. It is for this reason that it was listed in the International Red Book. That, however, does not prevent certain groups of people from continuing to engage in its fishing.
It's no secret to anyone that the most dangerous inhabitants seas and oceans are sharks. There are about 350 species of them. This time the note will be devoted to the hammerhead shark. It got its name because of the unusual flat shape of the head, reminiscent of a hammer. Among these sharks, there are 3 main species and the first among them is the giant hammerhead shark.
As the name suggests, these sharks are the largest. Their average body length is 6 meters, but larger specimens have come across. So off the coast of New Zealand, a hammerhead shark 7 meters 89 centimeters long and weighing 363 kilograms was caught.
Giant underwater world There is a giant hammerhead shark in the warm waters of the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It can be encountered both in the open ocean and in the coastal strip. The number of these sharks is not very large.
hallmark This shark has a flattened head shape, on the sides of which there are large outgrowths. Her 2 small eyes are located exactly at the edges of these outgrowths. This arrangement of the organs of vision gives the fish a 360-degree view.
On the front of the head are nostrils and small holes that catch electric field other fish. Even if the prey dug into the sand from the shark, it will still feel it. It has been established that a shark can pick up electrical discharges of one millionth of a volt.
Along the edge of the head are nostrils and special holes that capture the electromagnetic field of fish 
There is an opinion that such an unusual shape of the head serves as a kind of steering wheel for the shark.
Its mouth is littered with small, but very sharp teeth, so it poses a serious danger to humans. In a fight with her, staying alive is a great success.
The mouth of the hammerhead shark These sharks eat almost everything that moves - fish, squid, crabs, mollusks, poisonous stingrays. The poison of the latter does not harm the sharks. Apparently they have already developed a kind of immunity to it. It is almost impossible for prey to escape from pursuit, because. these sharks are excellent swimmers and develop fairly high speeds when chasing. Them natural enemy is only human.
Hammerhead sharks are viviparous. At a time they bring 30-40 cubs. A newborn baby shark reaches a length of 50 centimeters and already swims well. When born, their hammer is turned back towards the body. It makes childbirth easier.
The most frequent cases of attacks by these sharks on bathers have been recorded on the shallow beaches of the Hawaiian Islands, Florida and the Philippines. This is due to the fact that these areas are the main breeding grounds for hammerhead sharks.
The sandy coast of the Hawaiian Islands is a favorite place for vacationers and hammerhead sharks But people are not indebted either. They harvest these fish for their large and tasty fins, which are used to make the famous shark soup. As a result, the population of giant hammerhead sharks is rapidly declining. Sharks often die when caught in fishing nets. Now this fish is endangered.
shark fin 
One of the most amazing inhabitants of the underwater depths is the hammerhead fish. Although it may seem harmless, in fact, this predator is a danger even to humans.
Hammerhead family
Scientists know nine varieties of hammerhead sharks, which differ in color, size, head shape and the waters in which they live. All this family is divided into two genera: Eusphyra and Sphyrna. In the first group there is only one representative - this is the winged shark. Her “hammer” is almost half the size of her body, and she differs from the rest of the family in the breadth of her head. There are eight more "sisters" in the second group, the largest of them can reach 6 meters. This entire family is related to cats, mustelids and gray sharks.
Appearance
Many are attracted by the way the hammerhead fish looks. The body of the predator practically does not differ from the shark we are used to. It has a streamlined shape, and the color varies depending on the genus. Basically, the back is dark (gray, brown), and the belly is light. But it is the head that is of particular interest. Its shape is T-shaped. The structure of the head itself depends on the "breed" of the predator, it can be large or, conversely, have a small size. But the main thing is that each individual has a peculiar shape, which is why it is called the hammerhead fish. Photos can be viewed below. Eyes are located at the ends of the “processes” of the head. These fish are able to see 360 degrees. Interestingly, in these predators, the vision depends on the latitude of the "hammer". The larger it is, the better the view of the area in front of it.
What does it eat
The hammerhead fish is a predator that feeds on other fish, molluscs, pipits, and crayfish. It is known that even stingrays are not afraid of these sharks, so these underwater inhabitants can be included in their diet. This fish has a very flexible body, which allows you to make dexterous maneuvers, not giving the prey a chance to come off. In addition, the swiftness of the fish is given by powerful fins. The shape of the head serves as a kind of stabilizer when moving. All these characteristics make the hammerhead shark a winner in fights even with an opponent who surpasses it in size. In addition, agility allows her to attack not only predatory fish but also on mammals.
Although the hammerhead fish is a fearless hunter, it is "lazy". Therefore, some sailors noticed how flocks of these sharks followed huge ships for several days, feeding on the waste that people dumped overboard.
Human danger
Looking at the small mouth of the hammerhead shark, located below the head, you can hardly say that it is dangerous to humans. Of course, this predator does not specifically hunt people, but still it is she who is in third place in terms of the number of attacks on vacationers. The fact is that the hammerhead fish becomes very aggressive during the breeding season, and to breed young animals, they swim to warm waters off the coast. It is in these places that holidaymakers usually rest. In a fight with this creature, a person never remains a winner.
But hammerhead sharks also become victims of people, as they are a valuable product of the fishing industry. In cooking, fins, liver and predator meat are highly valued. These pieces are very tasty and are in huge demand. The remains are ground into flour, from which fish products are prepared. In addition, shark skin is no less valuable.
reproduction
The shape of the head is not the only attraction of the hammerhead fish. The description of how these predators reproduce is also surprising. They are viviparous, while the rest of the fish spawn. Mothers carry their offspring in much the same way as mammals. At birth, the “hammer” of the baby is turned towards the body in order to be born without difficulty. Gradually, the head of the fish becomes like that of adults.
At one time, a mother can bring from 15 to 30 babies who are already “learned” to swim perfectly. Each is about half a meter long. But after a few months they become meter long and show aggression, like all adults.
habitats
These sharks prefer to be in temperate and warm waters. They can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. While the fish is still young, it stays in shallow water or at the bottom of bays. In these places, it is easier for them to acquire the hunter skill. Growing up, they go to deep sea swimming.
The hammerhead shark has special form head - expanded and flattened, similar to a hammer, in connection with this it received its name.
In total there are 9 varieties of such sharks. The size of the hammerhead shark reaches 0.9-6 meters, and the weight ranges from 3 to 580 kilograms. Despite the complex and rather strange shape of the head, the body of the shark is completely streamlined, thanks to which it is able to develop high speed.
The hammerhead shark is found in the tropical coasts of the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In the open ocean, a shark can rarely be found, it mostly stays at a depth of no more than 400 meters. Although such a depth is quite far from the coast, but not so much that vacationers could not be afraid of this predator, because the hammer, like any shark, instinctively attacks all living things. Only 4 species of hammerhead sharks out of 9 are dangerous to humans.
Appearance
The hammerhead shark uses an unpretentious hunting tactic - it swims along the bottom, and, having noticed the victim, presses it to the bottom or drowns it with its head, after which it eats it.