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Alan Davidson

Hammerhead, Hammerhead Shark

Sphyrna zygaena (Linnaeus)

Appears in
top 1000North Atlantic Seafood
North Atlantic Seafood

By Alan Davidson

Published 1980

  • About

Family Sphyrnidae

  • Portuguese: Martelo
  • Spanish: Pez martillo
  • French: Requin marteau
  • Dutch: Hamerhaai
  • Other: Shovelhead shark

REMARKS Maximum length 4 metres. This shark has an olive-brown or brownish-grey back. Its (literally) salient characteristic is the extraordinary head, shaped like a hammer, with the eyes set in the projections. The scientific name zygaena means balance, another interpretation of the shape of the head.

The hammerhead belongs to the tropical and warm temperate waters of both sides of the Atlantic. Small schools of the species go up as far as Cape Cod in the summer, and stray specimens reach the southern coast of England. A specimen netted at Long Island in 1805 contained parts of a man in its stomach, an incident which darkened the American reputation of the species.

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