Overview

Smooth hammerheads move between coastal and offshore waters, sometimes forming elegant schools when young. Their broad, unnotched hammer sets them apart from more angular relatives. In many regions, their future depends more on fishery management than on public fear. A hammerhead with a broad smooth-edged cephalofoil that lacks the deeper central notch seen in some relatives. The first dorsal fin is tall and falcate, and the body is generally plain gray-brown above with a pale underside. Broad but patchy in temperate and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, occurring both near coasts and well offshore.

Uses continental shelves, island slopes, and open-ocean waters from near the surface downward. Young animals may form schools in coastal zones, while larger individuals roam more broadly.

Added from the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS).

Why it matters: The side-expanded head spreads the eyes and other sensory organs widely apart, improving the shark's sampling of its surroundings.

Common nameSmooth hammerhead
Scientific nameSphyrna zygaena
FamilySphyrnidae
OrderCarcharhiniformes
Max length5.0 m
Depth range0 to 0 meters
RegionNorth Atlantic Ocean, European waters, North West Atlantic
DietData not available in this offline release.
HabitatMarine waters (habitat data not available locally).
Why it stands outFamily: Sphyrnidae

What this shark is

A hammerhead with a broad smooth-edged cephalofoil that lacks the deeper central notch seen in some relatives. The first dorsal fin is tall and falcate, and the body is generally plain gray-brown above with a pale underside.

Where it lives

Broad but patchy in temperate and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, occurring both near coasts and well offshore.

Uses continental shelves, island slopes, and open-ocean waters from near the surface downward. Young animals may form schools in coastal zones, while larger individuals roam more broadly.

How it differs from similar sharks

Family: Sphyrnidae

Compare it against Sphyrna Alleni, Sphyrna Couardi, and Carolina hammerhead.

Why it is notable

This species is not among the most frequently encountered sharks for swimmers, though a large individual deserves respect. The bigger conservation problem is capture in coastal and pelagic fisheries, especially because hammerheads are sensitive to overexploitation.

IUCN, Florida Museum, Sharkipedia, and broad shark references agree on the species' broad warm-temperate to subtropical distribution and placental live-bearing. Published size and depth values differ slightly, so the numbers here are rounded to conservative field-guide ranges.

Related shark pages

These links are meant to help readers continue through related species, not force extra clicks.

Carolina hammerhead photograph showing the bonnet-like hammerhead outline in shallow water; not to scale.
Sphyrna gilberti

Carolina hammerhead

Common name: Sphyrna Gilberti

Shark species in Sphyrnidae.