Due to shy nature and migratory habits of the great hammerheads the conservation efforts are quite ineffective and … Hammerhead Shark Behavior. They have been sited both far off shore and very close to the shore line. The front margin of the head is nearly straight with a shallow notch in the center in adult great hammerheads, distinguishing it from the smooth hammerhead and scalloped hammerhead (Compagno et al., 2005). Favors continental and insular coral reefs but is often associated with inlets and the mouths of bays. GREAT HAMMERHEAD SHARK Sphyrna mokarran Habitat A common tropical and subtropical shark that inhabits the open ocean and the shallow coastal waters of both the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida. The great hammerhead is a solitary, nomadic predator and is found throughout the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and Pacific oceans and also in the Mediterranean sea. The great hammerhead is a very large shark with the characteristic hammer-shaped head from which it derives its common name. This shark's unusual name comes from the unusual shape of its head, an amazing piece of anatomy built to maximize the fish's ability to find its favorite meal: stingrays. They almost never range into Arctic waters. At night time though they go to find food and they do that on their own. The Great hammerhead is the most recently evolved species of shark. Habitat. The specific habitat preference of these predators depends upon the species. Coloration is dark grey-brown dorsally and lighter grey ventrally. These schools can have up to 100 members in them. A common tropical and subtropical shark that inhabits the open ocean and the shallow coastal waters of both the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida. Favors continental and insular coral reefs but is often associated with inlets and the mouths of bays. These sharks are most common in tropical, subtropical, and temperate seas. Largest species of hammerhead shark, with the most distinctly hammer-shaped head of this genus. Hammerhead sharks are viviparous: they retain fertilized eggs within the body and give birth to live young—from 2 to 42. Body is broad and streamlined in shape with tall, curved dorsal fins, and a large, well-developed tail with distinct lobes. Habitat of the Hammerhead Shark. The shark's eye placement, on each end of its very wide head, allows it to scan more area more quickly than other sharks can. Great Hammerhead Shark Facts: Breeding The gestation period (the period during which young develop inside of a female animal) of the great hammerhead shark is 11 months. Smaller species produce just a few young, whereas the great hammerhead will give birth to several dozen. Habitat. While most species of sharks are loners, the Hammerhead Sharks swim in schools during the daylight hours. A hammerhead shark uses its wide head to trap stingrays by pinning them to the seafloor. For the most part, they prefer warmer waters. Habitat. Three hammerhead species have a high risk of extinction: the great hammerhead, which is threatened by the shark fin trade and bycatch (unwanted fish … The Great Hammerhead shark can live in depths of 1m to 300m. This species of shark is coastal pelagic and semi oceanic meaning they are fish that live in the open ocean or near the water’s surface but remain relatively close to the coast (MarineBio, 2013). The great hammerhead is predominately a costal shark that is found over continental shelves and in lagoons. Over the last 30 years the population of great hammerhead sharks has declined by 50 %. The great hammerhead’s eggs hatch within their mother’s body and the newborn sharks emerge fully developed. Birth usually occurs during the spring and summer months, and females will usually give birth in shallow, protected coastal waters.