The scalloped hammerhead is a species of hammerhead shark, and it is part of the family Sphyrnidae. The most distinguishing characteristic of this shark is the 'hammer' on its head. The shark's eyes and nostrils are at the tips of the hammer. This is relatively large hammerhead, though is smaller than both the Great and Smooth Hammerheads. This shark is also known as the bronze, kidney-headed or southern hammerhead. Scalloped hammerheads are large sharks that live all over the world. The scalloped hammerhead males on average are between 5 and 6 feet in length and are about 64 pounds. Females which are larger than the males are on average 8 feet and weigh 180 pounds. These sharks are the most common species of hammerheads found in coastal …show more content…
They are found in waters of about 900 feet in depth. They spend most of the day closer to shore and move into deeper waters at night in search of prey. Adults live either alone, in pairs or in very small schools. While, young scalloped hammerheads live in large schools. To adapt to their surroundings these sharks can feel electrical fields using special organs called the ampullae of lorenzini. They are located in the snout of the shark. This adaptation allows them to feel the electricity that is released from other animals, making it easier for them to find prey. These sharks are also nocturnal, making it easier to sneak up on fish, however it makes it harder to see and that is where their ability to feel the electricity comes into play. Also they do form large schools in their youth to protect each other. Reproduction only occurs once a year for these sharks. The males will bite the females until she agrees to mate. The males will then transfer sperm into the female using claspers. Claspers are the male reproductive organ in cartilaginous fish. The scalloped hammerhead give a live birth and have an egg yolk placenta. Their gestation period is between 9 and 10 months, similar in time to human beings. The adult females move to the shallower waters of the continental shelf to give birth. The mother gives birth to between 15 and 30 babies. When giving birth the hammer is made of cartilage so the birthing is less traumatic. The offspring are between 15 and 18 inches in