Hammerhead sharks are known for their special trait of being herbivores and not liking meat. So, what are their hunting habits, reproductive characteristics, and preferences like? Let’s explore all the information about hammerhead sharks in this article.
Overview of hammerhead sharks
Let’s take a look at some basic information and an overview of hammerhead sharks:
Shape
Hammerhead sharks have an ugly and bulky shape, with a large head that spreads out like a table. However, this species is not aggressive or hard to approach like other sharks, such as the bull shark, because they are easily disturbed by external factors. They can use their large hammerhead to firmly grip their favorite food, such as stingrays, even when the prey resists. With a large and extremely long body that can reach up to 6 meters long and weigh up to 225kg, they are gray-green and have a silver-white tail. They have a very good vision due to their unique eye position, better than other shark species, and their sensory organs are also specialized and more sensitive. They have a very wide mouth. In addition, they also possess a group of sensory organs that allow them to quickly and sensitively detect their favorite food, prey.”
Distinctive features of hammerhead sharks
Hammerhead sharks do not live in schools, but rather they live scattered in certain areas such as tropical coastal regions and temperate zones, or in the upper and middle layers of water, and can even dive to depths of nearly 500 meters due to their ability to withstand pressure and their impressive salt tolerance. These factors contribute to the unique characteristics of this species.
Hammerhead sharks prefer a vegetarian diet over meat, which may seem illogical given their fierce hunting methods, but this is actually the case. They also have a type of muscle that supports their head, allowing them to move it up and down in a smooth rhythm.
A pregnant hammerhead shark can carry up to 40 unborn pups in her belly. This was discovered when a dead shark washed up on the shore, and although the cause of death was unclear, starvation may have been a factor. Inside her belly were 40 fully-formed pups.
Currently, there is no accurate estimate or evidence to show how many hammerhead sharks still exist, but their numbers are not high. The reasons for their decline can be attributed to brutal hunting practices, and indiscriminate exploitation by people, as they are easily affected by electric shock methods such as electrofishing, which is more sensitive to capturing hammerhead sharks than other species.
Reproductive ability and favorite food
With the ability to give birth to 20-30 offspring per litter, and even up to 40, hammerhead sharks meet their mates and mate if they feel compatible. The mating period is usually short before the reproductive process takes place. The offspring resemble their mothers up to 90% in appearance, which means that the mother’s traits are dominant. They are commonly around 70 cm in size, but what’s unique is that the heads of hammerhead shark offspring are even more rounded than those of adults.
The offspring of hammerhead sharks are born without parental care and live independently, finding food and protecting themselves. It has been discovered that the offspring can reproduce asexually in captivity without the need for male fertilization. However, this does not aid in maintaining the unique gene pool and can affect the survival of future generations.
As for their favorite food, hammerhead sharks primarily feed on stingrays, tuna, and herring. They will eat any available prey when they are hungry. They hunt alone rather than in groups and attack their prey head-on.
So, one question we all wonder is how long do hammerhead sharks live?
Longevity and Unique Characteristics of Hammerhead Sharks
Hammerhead sharks have a relatively long lifespan, living up to 60 years in favorable natural environments for living, hunting, and development, without being hunted. Therefore, a hammerhead shark living under 50 years is considered quite old, while those raised in captivity can only live up to 40 years, and usually only up to 30 years.
Hammerhead sharks look quite fierce, but they do not harm humans or cause harm to humans if we do not harm or agitate them. In case humans make them feel threatened, hammerhead sharks may react negatively and cause strong harm.
According to current research, hammerhead sharks are on the brink of extinction due to various factors such as indiscriminate hunting by humans, as well as climate change, which limits their living environment. This has led to a significant decrease in the number and variety of this species.
In fact, at present, only over 5% of the hammerhead shark population survives, as nearly 95% of these fish have disappeared without a trace. And the remaining population reproduces and breeds very slowly because they are scattered rather than living in schools, making reproduction even more difficult. Therefore, if we do not have any suitable measures to protect and breed them, there is a high likelihood that this species may disappear and become extinct within a few years.
Through this, we can see that hammerhead sharks are one of the fascinating fish species, and if we can, let’s work together to protect this rare fish species to help maintain the diversity and uniqueness of the ecosystem.
These are the information about hammerhead sharks that we have collected and compiled for you. We hope that they are all useful information for you. See you in our next articles.