FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
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Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
The smooth hammerhead shark is a species that is found in the temperate waters of oceans all over the world. It is named for the smooth and long hammer shape (cephalofoil) of the head. This shark is found in the western Atlantic, eastern Atlantic, and Indo-Pacific Oceans, in the waters of over 100 countries. The smooth hammerhead shark is rarely found in tropical waters, mostly inhabiting estuaries, inshore waters, or continental shelves. The smooth hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena) has mostly brown and white coloration. Smooth hammerhead sharks migrate towards poles in the summer and return closer to the equator in the winter. They are sometimes seen with their fins over the surface since they live in relatively shallow waters. Despite being a widespread species, smooth hammerheads are caught intentionally and as bycatch in many places, leading to a significant decline in their numbers. They are hence classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN.
For more relatable content, check out these Caribbean reef shark facts and horn shark facts for kids.
The smooth hammerhead shark is a fish.
The smooth hammerhead shark belongs to the Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish) class of animals.
The total number of smooth hammerhead sharks currently present worldwide is unknown since they are spread over a global range. Their population trends have been declining recently, giving them the conservation status of Vulnerable.
The smooth hammerhead shark species is basically found all over the world in temperate ocean waters.
In the western Atlantic Ocean, smooth hammerhead sharks occur in marine water ranging from the Virgin Islands to Canada, and Argentina to Brazil. In the eastern Atlantic oOcean, they range from Côte d'Ivoire to the British Isles and the Mediterranean. In the Indo-Pacific Ocean waters, they are seen from Sri Lanka to South Africa, and Vietnam to southern Siberian. In the eastern Pacific Ocean, they are seen from Chile to California. Smooth hammerhead sharks are also seen in marine waters near southern Australia, Hawaii, and New Zealand. Smooth hammerhead sharks are found in the waters of more than 100 countries.
Smooth hammerhead sharks live in the temperate and warm waters of the oceans. They are rarely found in tropical waters. These fish prefer inshore waters of estuaries and bays but are also seen around islands and over continental shelves in the coastal ocean waters. Smooth hammerheads have also been observed going into freshwater habitats like Florida's Indian River.
Smooth hammerheads are migratory within their range. In summer, they migrate towards water closer to the poles to keep cool and go back to the habitats closer to the equator once winter comes around.
Smooth hammerhead sharks are usually seen at depths of 66 ft (20.1 m) but can exist anywhere between 3.3-660 ft (1-201.2 m).
The adults of the smooth hammerhead shark species tend to live by themselves or in small groups. They can congregate in great numbers while undergoing yearly migrations. Schools of several hundred to several thousand juvenile smooth hammerhead sharks have also been observed near South Africa and California.
Smooth hammerhead sharks live for 20 years or longer.
The smooth hammerhead shark is a viviparous species, meaning the eggs hatch inside of the body and live pups are born. The embryos are nourished via the yolk sac's placental connection. Mating and birthing both happen during spring, and the females are able to ovulate after birth. The number of pups born is anywhere between 20-50. The gestation period lasts for 10-11 months. At the time of birth, pups are 20-24 in (50.8-61 cm) long.
The birth of pups takes place in coastal shallow nurseries like the one in North Carolina's Bulls Bay. Female sharks are known to reach maturity when they are 8.9 ft (2.7 m) long and the male sharks become mature when they are 6.9-8.2 ft (2.1-2.5 m).
The conservation status of the smooth hammerhead shark species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature is Vulnerable.
The smooth hammerhead shark is the second-biggest hammerhead shark after the large hammerhead or great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran). The cephalofoil or the 'hammer' has a front margin that is curved and does not have a center indentation. The cephalofoil is short and wide and measures a length that is 26-20% of the body length. The nostrils of the smooth hammerhead are near the caphalofoil's end. There are long grooves that run towards the cephalofoil's center. The teeth of the smooth hammerhead shark are triangular and they have slightly serrated to smooth edges. There are 25-30 rows of teeth in the lower part of the jaw and 26-32 in the upper one.
The body of the smooth hammerhead shark is streamlined and there is no dorsal ridge amidst the dorsal fins. The initial dorsal fin is somewhat tall and has a sickle shape and a rounded tip. The pelvic and pectoral fins are not sickle-shaped but have almost straight margins. The second dorsal fin is smaller than the anal fin. The anal fin has an elongated and free rear tip as well as a capable notch in the hind margin. The dermal denticles on the outer body are densely packed and each of them has five to seven horizontal ridges that lead to a rear margin that is W-shaped. The juveniles of the species have only three horizontal ridges on their dermal denticles. The backs of smooth hammerheads are olive to dark brown-gray in color, which is different from the plain brown in most hammerheads. The belly tends to be white and the pectoral fins can sometimes have dark edges on the underneath.
Smooth hammerhead sharks are magnificent sea creatures. The most striking feature is obviously their 'hammers' that are an essential hunting tool for them. They are big, long, and have dorsal fins that are often seen out of the water, like other shark predators.
The smooth hammerhead shark species utilizes body movements for communicating. Smooth hammerhead sharks may shake their heads, display curving swimming maneuvers, spin on an axis, and hit other sharks. They also ram their snouts into other hammerhead sharks.
Smooth hammerhead sharks are usually 8-11.5 ft (2.4-3.5 m) long, but some of them can grow to a maximum length of 16.4 ft (5 m). This makes them 12-18 times bigger than dwarf lantern sharks.
A smooth hammerhead shark is capable of reaching speeds of up to 20 mph (32.2 kph).
Smooth hammerhead sharks weigh up to 880 lb (400 kg).
Males and females of the smooth hammerhead species do not have specific names.
A baby smooth hammerhead shark is called a pup.
The smooth hammerhead shark is a top predator and it prefers prey such as hake, menhaden, mackerel, seabass, crabs, barnacles, shrimp, bony fish, stingrays, other smooth hammerhead sharks, sea snakes, octopus, squid, cephalopods, other small sharks, rays, dolphins, and skates.
Smooth hammerheads don't actively seek out human prey but can become aggressive in the presence of a human. There have been very few attacks on humans by smooth hammerhead sharks or any other hammerhead sharks.
The smooth hammerhead shark size is too massive to keep it as a pet.
The great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) is the biggest of the hammerhead fishes in the Sphyrnidae family. The great hammerhead can grow to be 20 ft (6.1 m).
The poisonous barbs of prey fishes like stingrays are found in the mouths of smooth hammerheads.
Hammerhead sharks can become prey to killer whales and dusky sharks.
Smooth hammerhead sharks are not that dangerous for human divers with attacks being extremely rare. However, they and other hammerhead sharks can be potentially dangerous or fatal.
Smooth hammerhead sharks are a Vulnerable species as per the IUCN. This species gets caught as bycatch very often, including pregnant females and pups. They are kept for their fins. If caught fish are released, their mortality increases.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other fish from our bull shark interesting facts and porbeagle shark fun facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable smooth hammerhead shark coloring pages.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
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