The Great Hammerhead is the largest of all hammerhead species on the planet.
Capable of reaching up to 20 feet in length, an adult great hammerhead can be a thousand pounds in weight. However, the massive predator is evidently weaker than the voracious appetite of humans that values this important creature as a 100 dollar delicacy.
Great hammerheads are globally endangered and the major factor behind the population decline is overfishing.
The Great Hammerhead Shark gets its name due to its massive size and a hammer-shaped head which is called the cephalofoil. There are over 400 different species of sharks and over 8 species of hammerheads have been recognized so far. The great hammerhead is the largest of all. It can be easily distinguished from other hammerhead species by the structure of its cephalofoil. They have a wide cephalofoil with a straight and smooth front edge while in other species this hammer is not as smooth and may have a curved front margin.
Great hammerheads have a set of well-evolved fins that allow the massive fish to navigate swiftly in the ocean waters. The long sickle-shaped dorsal fin and a pair of large pectoral fins provide stability in water while the elongated tail fin acts as a propeller, capable of pushing the great hammerhead at speeds of up to 40 km/h. Great hammerheads have a relatively large second dorsal fin and anal fins. The pelvic fin is also easily identifiable due to its concave rear margin. Like most sharks, female great hammerheads tend to grow larger than males. Though they are capable to reach a length of up to 6 meters or 20 feet, on average, an adult great hammerhead shark is only 3.5 to 4 meters. The weight ranges between 200 to 500 kg. The heaviest great hammerhead ever recorded weighed up to a massive 580 Kg.