English Name: Great Hammer-head Shark
Local Name: Kaaligan’du Miyaru
Size: Max. around 6 m.
Family: SPHYRNIDAE
Order: Carcharhiniformes
Distinctive Characters: Similar to all members of the hammerhead family, the Great Hammerhead Shark has a large flattened ‘hammer like’ head with wide set eyes. The Great Hammerhead Shark can be distinguished by their large size; very tall and distinctly sickle shaped first dorsal fin; large second dorsal fin; relatively straight frontal margin of their hammer-shaped head; strongly concave rear edge of their pelvic fins; and their clearly serrated teeth. Great Hammerheads have a wide thick head with eyes at the margins of the hammer which is almost rectangular in shape.
Colour: A tapered body which is bronze-pale brown on the dorsal surfaces and pale on the ventral surfaces.
Habitat and Biology: Worldwide in tropical seas, they are typically found in coastal reefs and lagoons, but are also known to seasonally migrate thousands of kilometers into open ocean. Great hammerheads are the largest species in the hammerhead family, reaching up to 6 m in length (typically ± 4 m). They specialize in hunting rays, using their hammer to find them buried in the sand through electroreception and then pin them down so they can’t escape.
Distribution: Tropical.
Remarks: After 11-12 months of gestation, females give birth to live young. Broods range from 10-56 pups. Size at birth about 2 feet. Juveniles utilize shallow bays and coastal waters as nursery areas. Shark Tank in Hulhumale’ is a great dive site to encounter Great Hammer-head Sharks.