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antiqueanimals · 2 months

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Bluntnose sixgill shark (Hexanchus griseus), Smooth hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena)

Fishes of the World. Written by Hans Hvass. Illustrated by Wilhelm Eigener. Originally published in 1964.

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#marine life #fish #cartilaginous fish #sharks #sixgill sharks #bluntnose sixgill shark #hammerhead sharks #smooth hammerhead #Wilhelm Eigener

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sharks-are-friends-not-foes · 7 months

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When people hear the name 'hammerhead,' many people probably picture the very recognizable, Great Hammerhead. What they might be unaware of though, is that the name 'hammerhead' is used in reference for NINE distinct different species of hammerhead sharks! However, the simple chart I've shared below, only shows the head shapes of 6/9 of those species. The three that are missing are: the Scalloped Bonnethead, the Carolina Hammerhead, and the Smalleye Hammerhead. (I will reference those 3 in this post, because if I'm going to talk about 6 of them, why not just go all in and recognize them all?)

Well, what do these species look like in the wild? Glad you asked!! Let me show you! 🦈🫡❤️

1. Great Hammerhead- the biggest species of Hammerhead shark. Distinguishable by it's large dorsal fin. (Adult females: 15-18ft; Adult males: 12ft)

2. Scalloped Hammerhead- Distinguishable by two indentations on either side of the central indentation, which gives the "scalloped" look. (Adult females: 8.2-14ft; Adult males 4.9-5.9ft)

3. Smooth Hammerhead- Distinguishable by the distinctive flattened shape of the head that is laterally extended into a hammer shape, without an indentation in the middle of the front margin (typically measures 8.2-11.5ft)

4. Bonnethead Hammerhead- Distinguishable by a broad, smooth, spade-like head. (Typically measures 2.6-3ft)

5. Scalloped Bonnethead- Smallest of the hammerhead species. Distinguishable by it's mallet-shaped head, that is moderately wide and elongated lengthwise. The front margin is broadly arched, with shallow lateral and medial indentations. (Typically measures 36in.)

6. Winghead Hammerhead- Distinguishable by a pair of long, narrow, and gently swept-back blades. (Typically measures 6.2ft)

7. Scoophead Hammerhead- It is distinguished by its moderately broad, mallet-shaped head (Adult males: 35in.; Adult females 39-52in.)

8. Carolina Hammerhead- visually indistinguishable from the common scalloped hammerhead. The difference in vertebrae, 10 fewer in this species, is the defining morphological difference. (Typically measures 9.8-13.1ft)

9. Smalleye Hammerhead- Distinguishable by a mallet-shaped head that is wide and long. The leading margin forms a broad arch with indentations in the middle and on either side. The eyes, placed at the ends of the 'wings', are proportionately smaller than in other hammerheads (Typically measures 3.9-4.3ft)

UNFORTUNATELY, and quite sadly 😭, most of these species of hammerhead sharks are either Endangered OR Critically Endangered. According to NOAA fisheries, their decline is due commercial fishing and the shark fin trade (which is horrendously still happening in some countries 😭). We MUST do what we can to preserve these beautiful sharks before they disappear from our world!

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unofficial-sean · 2 years

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Finished ironing on these bitches. Happy af. Sick af. More on the way Artist: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SpiderStitchesParlor

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prawn-toon · 2 years

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great hammerhead (sphyrna mokarran)

definitely some of the coolest beasts out there tbh, also they’re critically endangered! very important to spread awareness about these guys and avoid things like shark fin soup and always remember the shark fin trade sucks

#slippery smooth guys #shark #hammerhead shark #art stuff #shark week

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provokedgoalie · 1 year

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this shark is

✨ Smooth ✨

#c #sharks #shark #smooth hammerhead shark #smooth sharks #hehe

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hearty-an0n · 1 year

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also the best conservation status of a hammerhead species is vulnerable. thats fucked up what have sharks ever done but be animals

#<3 #its the smooth hammerhead btw

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am-i-interrupting · 1 month

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Baby Shark | Vox x OATSH Reader

No prior knowledge of the series required other than reader is an overlord & Vox is new to Hell.

Summary: Vox has plans, big plans, that he finally tells you. Of course, this is only after he procured a hammerhead pup.

You were curious, intrigued by what Vox had in store. All you’d gotten was a slightly cryptic phone call where he’d sounded nearly giddy, promising a surprise. If you’d meet him at his home.

You waited outside the building. Vox’s home currently wasn’t too luxurious. It was rather simple but nice. He was doing well for someone who’d only been in Hell for seven years.

He’d gone up rather quickly. He started as a commercial actor. Then he’d gotten bumped up to doing guest star roles in shows. Now he was a night show host, just like he’d been in life.

You knew he was working on things. Things he wasn’t exactly telling you. He would let you read documents over his shoulder as he worked on them in his office but would never answer your questions when you asked. He would claim that you’d figure out soon enough.

Maybe this was one of those things.

He pulled up in front of the house in an electric blue thunderbird. He got out of the car and spun around as the door closed, a big grin on his face.

“You are not ready for this,” he said as he went to the passenger side.

“What is it?” you asked as you moved behind him but he turned you around.

“Go inside,” he said. “I’ll follow you in a moment.”

Your smiled at him, a bit bemused by his behavior. It was a truly rare thing to see him look and act so excited. Still, you followed his request and pulled out your copy of his key.

Going inside you were immediately confused. There was an empty aquarium against the wall which hadn’t been there before.

What exactly was he doing?

He didn’t give you long to ponder as he came inside with a basket. It was filled with blankets. Wet blankets.

He closed the door with his foot but he didn’t let it slam like he normally would. Instead it clicked softly.

He leaned the basket so it tilted towards you. “He fell asleep on the car ride,” Vox said.

You looked down in the basket and put your hands over your mouth to stop any noise from coming out. “You got a pet shark?”

His smile expanded.

“Where are you putting it?”

“In the aquarium,” he said with a motion to the new addition.

“It’s gonna get big, Vox.”

“I know, but I’ve been doing the calculations,” he said as he gently placed the basket on his coffee table. “I also have a plan. At the rate I’m currently going though, it’s only a matter of time before I can climb the ranks to be if not as high as you then almost.

“I’ve managed to get several contracted souls—“

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“—and I am currently working on pitching several movie adaptations of your books. I hope you don’t mind that I forged your signature. Getting those green lit will bring eyes on not just you but the up and coming director who you allowed to adapt your books to film. Therefore it’ll bring eyes to other works of mine and by proxy myself. Bringing in more people who are likely to be interested in a contract for certain benefits.”

“You’ve been forging my signature?”

“Unimportant.”

“You are aware you could have just asked. Why didn’t you tell me any of this? These are big things, Vox.”

“I just wanted to surprise you,” he said.

The silent “impress you” was left just that, silent and unspoken.

You shook your head as you walked closer to him. “Well, you’ve certainly succeeded,” you told him.

You grabbed onto his jacket lapels and pulled him down into a kiss. He wrapped his hands around your waist. He tugged you closer.

A tiny little yawn sounding through the air broke your embrace. You looked down at the pup. It stretched out on the wet blankets. You acted on impulse and ran your finger down it’s smooth torso. It sniffed your hand.

“And how exactly do you expect to have the space for a fully grown shark?” you asked. “Maybe it’s a land shark but they still need a lot of water.”

“I’ve been plotting some ideas,” he said. “There is an overlord or two on that darling little list of yours, isn’t there?”

You thought of your list. Your list of people who toed the line of your moral code. There was an overlord on the list. Not yet bad enough to eliminate but getting there.

“Perhaps.”

“Why don’t you let me take care of that one, hm?”

You looked back at Vox. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“And I don’t plan on it.”

It was Vox’s turn to reach out and pet the pup. He scooped it up and looked at it with awe covering his features. He had always loved sharks.

“His name is Vark,” he said as he placed the pup on a rock that sat above the water level.

Immediately though he dove underneath the water and began stretching his fins.

“Vark,” you repeated. “As in shark or bark?”

#vox x reader #hazbin vox x reader #one author two show hosts

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bethanythebogwitch · 1 year

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It's Wet Beast Wednesday and this week's topic is Sphyrna tiburo, the bonnethead shark. This is a small and wildly adorable species of hammerhead shark that has some very unique features not found in other sharks.

As with most sharks, females are larger than males, reaching an average of about 0.7 to 1 meter (2.3 - 3.3 feet) in length with the longest recorded specimen being 1.5 meters (5 feet). They live in shallow waters, preferring to live in seagrass beds and muddy or sandy sediment. They are found on both coasts of the Americas in warm seas, though they can be found as far north as New England or northern California in rare cases. They migrate south during the winter. Bonnetheads are social and usually live in groups of 5 - 15 members, but can occasionally school in the hundreds or thousands, usually during migration. Scientists have identified at least 18 social behaviors, often used to display dominance or compete for mates. Bonnetheads are very timid and flee from humans. Only one attack on a human has been recorded and it left minor injuries.

One of the unique features of the bonnethead is the fact that they are the only shark species to have sexual dimorphism of the head. Sexual dimorphism is when the males and females of a species have distinct physical features. This is common with sharks, with males usually being smaller than females and having distinct reproductive organs known as claspers. Bonnetheads have an additional dimorphic feature on the cephalofoil (that's the hammer head of the hammerhead sharks). Females have a smooth cephalofoil while males have a distinct bulge on the back edges. in addition, the cehalofoil of the bonnethead is smaller and more rounded than in other hammerheads. Other hammerheads don't use their pectoral fins very much and rely on using their cephalofoil to achieve pitch (up and down movement) and yaw (side to side movement). Because bonnetheads have smaller cephalofoils, they must rely on their pectoral fins more than other hammerheads, and theirs are therefore proportionately larger and stronger than the fins of other hammerheads. By hammerhead standards, the bonnethead is the guy with massive biceps.

The other major unique feature of bonnetheads is their diet. Bonnetheads eat mainly crustaceans, molluscs, and small fish, but also eat a large amount of seagrass. this makes them the only omnivorous sharks, with all others being strict carnivores. Scientists thought that the seagrass was used to protect their gut from shark shells, but recent studies have shown that they do actually digest around 50% of the seagrass and have enzymes in the hindgut that can break down cellulose, implying they do gain nutrition from seagrass.

Bonnetheads are one of several shark species capable of asexual reproduction. A female at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Nebraska produced a pup through through parthenogenesis. The pup's DNA was identical to the mother's. Bonnetheads also have the shortest gestation period of any shark at only 5-6 months and give live birth.

Bonnetheads were once classified as "Least Concern" by the IUCN. this led to it being highly targeted in fisheries, both commercial and recreational. In 2020, it was reclassified as "Endangered" due to massive population declines in the Caribbean, Central and South Atlantic, and most of their Pacific range, largely due to overfishing. As of late 2021, the IUCN now considered them the be "Largely Depleted, meaning their population is currently much smaller than it was historically.

#wet beast wednesday #fishblr #fish #shark #sharks #bonnethead shark #hammerhead #ecology #zoology #marine biology #very cute shark

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one-time-i-dreamt · 2 years

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I was putting sunscreen on a male hammerhead shark. He was smooth af, btw.

#dream #shark #shark tw #shark cw #sunscreen

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sharkest-sharks · 1 year

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Links to every shark poll

ROUND 1

Blacknose shark vs Horn shark

Blacktip reef shark vs Basking shark

Blue shark vs Common thresher shark

Bonnethead shark vs Crocodile shark

Brown shyshark vs Goblin shark

Bull shark vs Longfin mako shark

Caribbean reef shark vs Megamouth shark

Copper shark vs Porbeagle shark (link was wrong, if you see this reblog this version instead!)

Dusky shark vs Salmon shark

Galapagos shark vs Shortfin mako shark

Great hammerhead shark vs Bluegrey carpet shark

Grey reef shark vs White shark

Lemon shark vs Epaulette shark

Leopard shark vs Nurse shark

Oceanic whitetip shark vs Spotted wobbegong

Pacific sharpnose shark vs Tawny nurse shark

Pyjama shark vs Whale shark

Sand tiger shark vs Whitespotted bamboo shark

Sandbar shark vs Zebra shark

Scalloped hammerhead shark vs Japanese saw shark

Sharptooth lemon shark vs Angular roughshark

Silky shark vs Bramble shark

Silvertip shark vs Cookiecutter shark

Small-spotted catshark vs Greenland shark

Smoothhound vs Gulper shark

Spinner shark vs Kitefin shark

Tiger shark vs Pacific sleeper shark

White tip reef shark vs Prickly shark

Bluntnose sixgill shark vs Pygmy shark

Broadnose sevengill shark vs Spiny dogfish

Frilled shark vs Velvet lantern shark

Sharpnose sevengill shark vs Angel shark

ROUND 2 (Up on Feb 12, 5PM GMT +3)

Horn shark vs Basking shark

Common thresher shark vs Bonnethead shark

Goblin shark vs Bull shark

Caribbean reef shark vs Porbeagle shark

Dusky shark vs Shortfin mako shark

Great hammerhead shark vs Great white shark

Epaulette shark vs Leopard shark

Spotted wobbegong vs Tawny nurse shark

Whale shark vs Whitespotted bamboo shark

Zebra shark vs Scalloped hammerhead shark

Angular roughshark vs Silky shark

Cookie cutter shark vs Greenland shark

Smooth hound shark vs Spinner shark

Tiger shark vs Whitetip reef shark

Pygmy shark vs Spiny dogfish shark

Frilled shark vs Angel shark

ROUND 3 (Up on Feb 14, 4PM GMT +3)

Basking shark vs Common thresher shark

Goblin shark vs Porbeagle shark

Shortfin mako shark vs Great hammerhead shark

Leopard shark vs Spotted wobbegong

Whale shark vs Scalloped hammerhead shark

Angular roughshark vs Greenland shark

Spinner shark vs Tiger shark

Spiny dogfish shark vs Angel shark

ROUND 4 (Up on Feb 16, 4PM GMT +3)

Common thresher shark vs Goblin shark

Great hammerhead shark vs Spotted wobbegong

Whale shark vs Greenland shark

Spinner shark vs Angel shark

ROUND 5 (Up on Feb 18, 4PM GMT +3)

Common thresher shark vs Spotted wobbegong

Whale shark vs Spinner shark

(List will be edited as the rest of the polls take place!)

#sharkest shark poll #polls

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voxasks · 3 hours

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you like sharks? omg me too! My favorite kind of sharks are hammerheads. Do you have any facts about hammerhead sharks?

"ahh, hammerheads, i see! which species? scalloped? great? smalleye? carolina? smooth? scoophead? i personally don't have a preference, i used to like the bonnethead until i saw the scalloped, then the great, then the scalloped bonnethead, then the carolina, then i realized i'd never be able to choose any one hammerhead species! as for facts, let me think, there's too many interesting ones to choose from, hmm ... this one's pretty well known but it never fails to fascinate me that hammerheads were born with the ability to use their heads for hunting, thus the name 'hammerhead'! isn't that neat? their odd shape serves such a vital purpose! speaking of odd, their eyes are unable see the front view but are able to turn a full three hundred and sixty degrees! oh oh oh, and they like swimming closer to the surface which means they evolved to be able to develop a tan! haha! oh, that's a little long, isn't it? well, until next time, my dear viewer! thank you for the delightful question, i had so much fun!"

#hazbin hotel roleplay #hazbin hotel rp #hazbin hotel #hazbin rp #hazbin vox #hazbin hotel fandom #vox hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel vox #hazbin hotel ask blog #.( voxasks ) invox #vox ask blog #hazbinhotel #hazbin ask blog #vox rp #vox roleplay #vox #hazbin hotel askblog

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ponderosus · 1 year

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starter: open @aurorabaystarter

location: aquatica

"oh my god..." the bartender breathes in amazement, standing in the middle of the underwater walkway. layla's head is tilted back to watch the smooth hammerhead shark glide above her head. so graceful, equally terrifying, and one of the reasons layla had often refused to ever go in the ocean past her hips. she isn't sure what brought her to the aquarium on this dreary afternoon, maybe to spend some quiet time with the fishes to avoid thinking about her mother. it was just one of those days when the brian decides to latch onto a certain memory locked away from years ago, and not let go until it had painfully dissected every moment and feeling from it. it takes a moment before the brunette finally realises she was standing in the way of other people trying to make it through the isle, "—oh, sorry, didn't realise i was in way."

#aurorabay.starter #shark tw

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unofficial-sean · 1 year

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Losing my mind over this

#smooth hammerhead shark #sphyrna zygaena

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chickensarentcheap · 5 months

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Because @theesirenteller enables me ;) lol

Fandom: Extraction

Pairing: Tyler Rake and Esme Drummond (eventually Rake)

Face claims: Chris Hemsworth and Rachel Bilson

@tragiclyhip @munstysmind @themaradwrites @youflickedtooharddamnit @thebejeweledwatercat @secretaryunpaid @kmc1989 @karimac @ninjasawakenedmystar @alisbackalleybbq @asirensrage @residentdormouse

“I DO really stink!” She laughs as she swims towards him; treading water as she rests her forearms on the surfboard. “Like really badly!”

“Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Resting an elbow on the board, he reaches across with his free hand to smooth down her hair. “Took me a long time to learn. Even to get used to standing up for more than ten seconds.”

“Bullshit. I refuse to believe it. Everyone knows that Australians are born knowing to surf.”

“That’s a lie. We have to learn to surf. We’re only born knowing how to wrestle crocs and punch out sharks.”

“Speaking of sharks…” She glances down at her feet; bubble gum pink toe nails shimmering in the water.

“Shark spotters will see them before they get anywhere near you. And if something does go wrong and they do get that close? Don’t worry. I’ll choke a shark out for you.”

“My hero.” Leaning across the board, she pecks his lips. “My knight in shining armour. Or should I say ‘slightly tarnished armour’.”

“I like that a little better. But it’ll have to be a small shark. Not like a great white. Or a hammerhead. Or anything like that. Like a baby shark.”

Laughing, she scoops up a handful of water and tosses it into his face. “For someone so cute, you can be a real shit head.”

“You’ve called me that twice today. In the span of five minutes.”

“But I’ve thought about it a dozen or so times. Listen, you can play the big, bad mercenary card for everyone else, but not for me. I live with you. I share a bed with you. I know all your little quirks. How big of a softie you can be.”

“And you’ve already been sworn to secrecy. Because if any of that ever gets out…”

“I know…I know. You have a reputation to uphold. I will take your precious secret to the grave. Or wait sixty years and then leak the proof to everyone we know. You know, kinda like the files on who killed JFK. Anyone involved will be dead and no one can be held accountable. Or embarrassed.”

“I promise you that if things get out even then, I’m coming back and haunting your ass.”

#Tyler and Esme series #Lost and Found

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inaaya-goddess-of-dimensions · 9 months

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goo jit zu with lines: bloopers

(getting ready for playing the part)

(bengal aka Lucy messed up her lines and Panatro aka Yuki didn't say anything all though it was funny)

(someone was acting with hammerhead aka Grey by mistake turning his phone on to hear himself and put his air pods in and didn't know he had forgot to connect his new air pods to his phone, what a dumbass T~T and blazagon got pissed off shortly after and pantaro was like "blazagon it's okay" yeahh went smooth at the end)

#goo jit zu ep 10 #goo jit zu #heroes of goojitzu #gjz #actors #actress #au #directing #bloopers #blazagon #pantaro #bengal #hammerhook #hammerhead #inaaya

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averagedialtowner · 2 months

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naw you shouldve died in the womb youre just a failure atp ☠️☠️

The hammerhead sharks are a group of sharks that form the family Sphyrnidae, named for the unusual and distinctive form of their heads, which are flattened and laterally extended into a cephalofoil (a T-shape or "hammer"). The shark's eyes are placed one on either end of this T-shaped structure, with their small mouths directly centered and underneath. Most hammerhead species are placed in the genus Sphyrna, while the winghead shark is placed in its own genus, Eusphyra. Many different— but not necessarily mutually exclusive—functions have been postulated for the cephalofoil, including sensory reception, manoeuvering, and prey manipulation. The cephalofoil gives the shark superior binocular vision and depth perception.

Hammerheads are found worldwide, preferring life in warmer waters along coastlines and continental shelves. Unlike most sharks, some hammerhead species will congregate and swim in large schools during the day, becoming solitary hunters at night.

The known species range from 0.9 to 6.0 m (2 ft 11 in to 19 ft 8 in) in length and weigh 3–580 kg (6.6–1,300 lb).[1][2] One specimen caught off the Florida coast in 1906 weighed over 680 kg (1,500 lb).[3] They are usually light gray and have a greenish tint. Their bellies are white, which allows them to blend into the background when viewed from below and sneak up to their prey.[4] Their heads have lateral projections that give them a hammer-like shape. While overall similar, this shape differs somewhat between species; examples are: a distinct T-shape in the great hammerhead, a rounded head with a central notch in the scalloped hammerhead, and an unnotched rounded head in the smooth hammerhead.[5]

Hammerheads have disproportionately small mouths compared to other shark species.[6] Some species are also known to form schools.[7]In the evening, like most other sharks, they become solitary hunters.[citation needed] National Geographic explained that hammerheads can be found in warm, tropical waters, but during the summer, they participate in a mass migration to search for cooler waters.[8]

Since sharks do not have mineralized bones and rarely fossilize, only their teeth are commonly found as fossils. Their closest relatives are the requiem sharks (Carcharinidae). Based on DNA studies and fossils, the ancestor of the hammerheads probably lived in the Early Mioceneepoch about 20 million years ago.[6][9]

Using mitochondrial DNA, a phylogenetic tree of the hammerhead sharks showed the winghead shark as its most basal member. As the winghead shark has proportionately the largest "hammer" of the hammerhead sharks, this suggests that the first ancestral hammerhead sharks also had large hammers.[10]

The hammer-like shape of the head may have evolved at least in part to enhance the animal's vision.[11] The positioning of the eyes, mounted on the sides of the shark's distinctive hammer head, allows 360° of vision in the vertical plane, meaning the animals can see above and below them at all times.[12][13] They also have an increased binocular vision and depth of visual field as a result of the cephalofoil.[14][15] The shape of the head was previously thought to help the shark find food, aiding in close-quarters maneuverability, and allowing sharp turning movement without losing stability. The unusual structure of its vertebrae, though, has been found to be instrumental in making the turns correctly, more often than the shape of its head, though it would also shift and provide lift. From what is known about the winghead shark, the shape of the hammerhead apparently has to do with an evolved sensory function. Like all sharks, hammerheads have electroreceptory sensory pores called ampullae of Lorenzini. The pores on the shark's head lead to sensory tubes, which detect electric fields generated by other living creatures.[16] By distributing the receptors over a wider area, like a larger radio antenna, hammerheads can sweep for prey more effectively.[17]

Reproduction occurs only once a year for hammerhead sharks, and usually occurs with the male shark biting the female shark violently until she agrees to mate with him.[18] The hammerhead sharks exhibit a viviparousmode of reproduction with females giving birth to live young. Like other sharks, fertilization is internal, with the male transferring sperm to the female through one of two intromittent organs called claspers. The developing embryos are at first sustained by a yolk sac. When the supply of yolk is exhausted, the depleted yolk sac transforms into a structure analogous to a mammalian placenta (called a "yolk sac placenta" or "pseudoplacenta"), through which the mother delivers sustenance until birth. Once the baby sharks are born, they are not taken care of by the parents in any way. Usually, a litter consists of 12 to 15 pups, except for the great hammerhead, which gives birth to litters of 20 to 40 pups. These baby sharks huddle together and swim toward warmer water until they are old enough and large enough to survive on their own.[18]

In 2007, the bonnethead shark was found to be capable of asexual reproduction via automictic parthenogenesis, in which a female's ovum fuses with a polar body to form a zygote without the need for a male. This was the first shark known to do this.[19]

Hammerhead sharks eat a large range of prey such as fish (including other sharks), squid, octopus, and crustaceans. Stingrays are a particular favorite, with the positioning of their (comparatively) smaller, crescent-shaped mouths underneath their T-shaped heads allowing for skilled skate, ray, and flounder hunting, among other seafloor-dwellers. These sharks will often be found swimming above the sand along the bottom of the ocean, stalking their prey. Their unique heads are further utilized as a tool (or weapon) if hunting rays and flatfishes; the shark uses its head to pin down and briefly stun the prey, and only eats once their quarry is clearly weakened and in shock.[18] The great hammerhead, tending to be larger and more aggressive to its own kind than other hammerheads, occasionally engages in cannibalism, eating other hammerhead sharks, including mothers consuming their own young.[20] In addition to the typical animal prey, bonnetheads have been found to feed on seagrass, which sometimes makes up as much as half their stomach contents. They may swallow it unintentionally, but they are able to partially digest it. At the time of discovery, this was the only known case of a potentially omnivorous species of shark[21] (since then, whale sharks were also found to be omnivorous).[22]

According to the International Shark Attack File, humans have been subjects of 17 documented, unprovoked attacks by hammerhead sharks within the genus Sphyrna since AD 1580. No human fatalities have been recorded.[33] Most hammerhead shark species are too small to inflict serious damage to humans.[8]Man carrying a hammerhead shark along a street in Mogadishu, Somalia

The great and the scalloped hammerheads are listed on the World Conservation Union's (IUCN) 2008 Red List as endangered, whereas the smalleye hammerhead is listed as vulnerable. The status given to these sharks is as a result of overfishing and demand for their fins, an expensive delicacy. Among others, scientists expressed their concern about the plight of the scalloped hammerhead at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Boston. The young swim mostly in shallow waters along shores all over the world to avoid predators.[34]

Shark fins are prized as a delicacy in certain countries in Asia (such as China), and overfishing is putting many hammerhead sharks at risk of extinction. Fishermen who harvest the animals typically cut off the fins and toss the remainder of the fish, which is often still alive, back into the sea.[35] This practice, known as finning, is lethal to the shark.[36]

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