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Field Key to Sharks of North Carolina and Adjacent Waters

Florida Program for Shark Research


Smooth hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena)
Biological Profile


smooth hammerhead
Smooth hammerhead
(Sphyrna zygaena)
illustration ©FAO courtesy Species Identification and Biodata



Distinguishing Characteristics
1. Head broadly arched and hammer-shaped and lacking an indentation at midline ("smooth")

2. Pelvic fins with straight to nearly concave rear margins



smooth hammerhead
Smooth hammerhead
(Sphyrna zygaena)
Specimen
photo courtesy National Marine Fisheries Service


smooth hammerhead
Smooth hammerhead
(Sphyrna zygaena)
Underwater
© Doug Perrine


great hammerhead
Photos to aid in the identification of the different hammerhead species in the Atlantic Ocean:
A. Smooth Hammerhead, B. Scalloped Hammerhead, C. Great Hammerhead, D. Bonnethead
© George Burgess