Great Hammerhead

Great Hammerhead

Size:
Birth: 20-28 in (50-70 cm)
Maturity: males 7-9 ft (2.2-2.7 m), females 8-10 ft (2.5-3 m)
Maximum: 18 feet (5.5 m) 6.1m?

Reproduction:
Maturity: unknown
Mode: viviparous
Gestation: 11 months
Pups: 13-42, 20-40, alternate years

Diet:
Juvenile: small teleost fishes, crabs

Adult: stingrays, skates, sharks, large teleost fishes, squids, crabs

Habitat: Intertidal, Estuaries, Sandy Plains, Rocky Reefs, Kelp Forests, Coral Reefs, Open Ocean, Deep Sea, Polar Sea, Fresh Waters

Depth: 3-260 ft (1-80m)

Distribution: South Pacific, Tropical Eastern Pacific, Chilean, Western North Atlantic, Caribbean, Amazonian, Eastern North Atlantic/Mediterranean, West African, Madagascaran, Arabian, Indian, South East Asian, Western Australian, Southeast Australian/New Zealand, Northern Australian, Japanese.

The feeding strategy of this particular Great Hammerhead seems remarkably efficient and economical. If this behavior is typical, it may explain why Great Hammerheads are particularly adept at catching stingrays. In any case, it is clear that this species has a particular gastronomic predilection for stingray flesh. Since stingrays often spend their daylight hours resting on the vast, sandy plains of shallow bays, it is not surprising that Great Hammerheads often haunt these areas in search of their favorite prey.