Studies based on morphology have generally regarded the smooth hammerhead as one of the more derived members of its family, grouped together with the scalloped hammerhead (S. lewini) and the great hammerhead (S. mokarran). Hammerhead Shark information at National Geographic Kids. There are over 400 different species of sharks And you are times more likely to drown at sea than to be attacked by a shark The hammerhead shark uses its head to pin down stingrays and eats the ray when the ray is weak and in shock. But the great hammerhead — Sphyrna mokarran — is set apart from the scalloped and smooth hammerheads by its straight frontal head. Meet the great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran). Unlike scalloped hammerhead sharks, great hammerhead sharks are solitary and migrate long distances upward of 756 miles (1,200 km) alone. The eyes are at either end of the hammer and the mouth is positioned on the underside in line with the trail edge of the hammer. The great hammerhead shark has a strange hydrofoil-like head with bulbous eyes on either side. The great hammerhead, tending to be larger and more aggressive than most hammerheads, occasionally engages in cannibalism, eating other hammerhead sharks, including its own young. Marine Species ID: Great Hammerhead vs. Scalloped and Smooth Hammerhead. A full listing of hammerhead sharks and their conservation statuses is maintained by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and can be found in the Wikipedia article: Hammerhead sharks. The largest species is the Great hammerhead. Let's find out and explore about hammerheads in Hammerhead Sharks Facts for kids! Phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA have concluded differently: while the smooth and great hammerheads are closely related, they are not … It occurs over continental shelves as well as adjacent deep waters, and may also be found in coral reefs and lagoons (Compagno 1984; Denham et al. The massive and well-known great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) has the most distinctive hammer of its genus.It is particularly wide and virtually straight along the front edge, with just a small notch in the centre. Great hammerhead sharks are apex predators and can be found worldwide in coastal, warm waters that are 68 degrees (20 degrees Celsius) or higher. Hammerhead sharks can grow up to a length of 20 feet and weigh around 1,000 pounds. It has a length of about 18 to 20 feet. As you might guess by its name, the great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) is the largest of the hammerhead sharks.These animals can reach a maximum length of about 20 feet (6 meters), although they are about 12 feet (3.6 meters) long on average. They are: the smooth hammerhead (vulnerable), scalloped hammerhead (endangered) and great hammerhead (also endangered). Great Hammerhead Sharks are not particularly targets for commercial fishing, however they are often by catch victims. The great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) is a circumtropical species that lives in coastal-pelagic and semi-oceanic waters. Humans treasure the fins of these sharks, but they also consume fresh, dried salted, fresh-frozen, and smoked meat that are taken from other parts of the Great Hammerhead Sharks’ bodies.