Hammerhead, Hammerhead Shark

Sphyrna zygaena (Linnaeus)

Appears in

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.

Part of

Non-bony Fish: Sharks, Rays or Skates, and the Sea Lamprey