Who doesn’t know hammerhead sharks, anyway? His hammer or hammer-shaped head made him easily recognizable by anyone. No other type of fish has a head as unique as a hammerhead shark. You could say that the hammerhead shark is called the animal with the weirdest head shape in the world.
However, have you ever asked what is the function of the unique head shape of the hammerhead shark? Did you know that the hammerhead shark family evolved recently? Check out six hammerhead shark facts that you must know below!
1. There are nine species of hammerhead sharks
The hammerhead shark actually consists of nine species. There are, eight of them belong to the genus Sphyrna, while one species is named winghead shark into the genus Eusphyra. Each species of hammerhead sharks varies in size. Some are less than a meter long, but some can grow to more than 6 meters!
Winghead shark is the most unique species of hammerhead shark. The size of the head is almost half the width of its body Mental Floss. This makes up winghead shark easy to get caught in fishing nets.
–
2. The largest species weighs almost half a ton
commons.wikimedia.org/Marko Dimitrijevic–
Great hammerhead shark or great hammerhead shark is the largest species in the hammerhead shark family. Cite the page OceanaThe longest recorded hammerhead shark measures 6.1 meters and the heaviest weighs 450 kilograms.
This species does have a faster growth rate. They reach adulthood earlier at ages 5–9 and are thought to live to be 44 years or more.
–
3. Evolved recently
commons.wikimedia.org/Rodtico21 –
The hammerhead shark is thought to have evolved about 20 million years ago. When compared with the initial appearance of sharks on earth 420 million years ago, sharks with unique heads are classified as newcomers.
Geneticists at the University of Colorado compared DNA samples from eight species of hammerhead sharks in 2010 to map their evolutionary history. Reported by the page Mental FlossThe research evidence suggests that hammerhead sharks only started to diversify around 20 million years ago. That’s the youngest compared to other shark species.
Also Read: Whale Sharks Stranded on Bayem Beach
–
4. The unique head makes the hammerhead shark superior in hunting
Continue reading the article below
Editor’s picks
–
commons.wikimedia.org/su neko–
Not a single fish has a head as unique as a hammerhead shark. Flat and wide to the side with the eye at the edges may make you wonder: what does it do, anyway?
Reported page BBC, this unique head shape actually enhances the shark’s swimming, hunting, sight and olfactory abilities.
A study in 2003 showed that hammerheads turn or change directions more frequently and quickly with better stability than species. sandbark shark which incidentally has a “normal” head shape. There are also reports that hammerhead sharks use their unique heads to hold stingrays trying to escape to the seabed.
A 2009 study also found that the hammerhead shark’s broad head enhances its binocular vision. This increases its depth perception. Meanwhile, the respective nostrils are located at the end of the head, making hammerheads detect odors more quickly and accurately.
–
5. Three species of hammerhead sharks are threatened with extinction
commons.wikimedia.org/Seawatch.org–
There are several species of hammer sharks that are now facing the threat of extinction. Citing a page Mental Floss, the existence of the great hammerhead shark species is most threatened by the booming shark fin trade. In addition, large hammerhead sharks are also often caught in fishing nets which are very dangerous for their lives.
Meanwhile, species winghead shark fall victim to overfishing and entanglement in fishing nets. Allegedly, the population has decreased by 50 percent in 42 years.
There are also species scalloped hammerhead protected by United States environmental law, the US Endangered Species Act, since 2014.
–
6. Each species has a favorite food
commons.wikimedia.org/NOAA Photo Library–
Hammerheads eat a wide variety of foods, from fish to cephalopods to crustaceans, but each species has its own favorite foods.
Great hammerhead sharks, for example, arguably they specialize in stingrays. They used to hunt and eat large stingrays. Cite the page Britannica, this species is thought to be immune to poison from stingrays.
Shark species bonnethead In fact, it is an omnivore because it does not only eat crab, shrimp, and fish. They also eat seagrass (a flowering plant that grows in shallow marine waters).
Now, after knowing the six interesting facts above, what do you think about hammerheads? Hopefully their existence will continue, yes!
Also Read: 5 Bull Shark Facts, More Dangerous than Great White Sharks!
–
IDN Times Community is a medium that provides a platform for writing. All written works are the sole responsibility of the author.
–
