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The great hammerhead shark has been around for over fifty million years. The great hammerhead shark in one of nine species that belong to a group called genus sphyna. The group has sharks like the great hammerhead, the hammerhead, tiger shark and the lemon shark. All these are great hunters of the underworld. The great hammerhead has been a great success in survival; this is contributed to his awkward look. The look a great hammerhead is a horizontal flattened head with his eyes at both ends of the head. His head has thousands of tiny receptors along the edges called ampullae's of Lorenzini.
The great hammerhead shark can be found in tropical and sub-tropical waters, in winter he can be found roaming around the equator. The hammerhead feeds mainly in the daylight hours around the coast of tropical islands. He feeds on stingrays that hide under corals during the day and many other fish. The great hammerhead is a sophisticated hunter; he has many sensors he uses to direct him to feeding. He has a scent sensor that alerts him of prey, and then the direction sensor kicks in and directs him to the prey. When the great hammerhead has detected his prey in the pinpointed location he attacks by surging forward and taking huge chunks and swallowing them whole and then returning to finish his victim.
The great hammerhead shark breeds at different times throughout the year, it is different for each region. The great hammerhead male searches for a suitable mate. When the male and female meet the male fertilizes the female’s eggs. The eggs stay within the female’s body; they are attached in the female’s bloodstream by an umbilical cord. The female carries the young for approximately ten months. At the end of this period the young are born, the female gives birth to about ten to thirty young at one time. When they are born they are able to swim and hunt on their own. Many fall prey to larger sharks that are in search of a meal.
The great hammerhead is known to live for twenty to thirty years. The great hammerhead is not an endangered species but many each year is killed unnecessarily.
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