Shark
Scalloped Hammerhead
Sphyrna lewini
The wide-headed hammerhead most often seen off the Eastern Cape, sometimes in schools, distinguished by the scalloped front edge of its 'hammer'.
Also known as hammerhead, hammerhead shark
- Typical size
- Commonly 2.5-3.5 m
- Habitat
- Coastal reefs, drop-offs and open water
- Depth
- Surface to ~275 m
The hammerhead noted on these reefs is almost always the scalloped hammerhead, named for the notched leading edge of its broad cephalofoil. The flattened head spreads the shark's electrical and visual senses wide, helping it hunt over reef and sand.
Scalloped hammerheads are known for gathering in large schools around seamounts and headlands, though the animals seen over inshore reefs are more often solitary adults or roaming juveniles. They are wary of divers and generally move off; the species is heavily targeted for its fins and is now globally threatened.