Scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini)

Scientific name: Sphyrna lewini Griffith & Smith, 1834

The Scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) is a brackish-water fish of the family Sphyrnidae.

Biology

A coastal-pelagic, semi-oceanic shark occurring over continental and insular shelves and adjacent deep water, often approaching close inshore and entering enclosed bays and estuaries. Found in inshore and offshore waters to about 275 m depth; has been filmed at a baited camera in 512 m depth (Lis Maclaren, pers. Comm. 2005). Huge schools of small migrating individuals move pole ward in the summer in certain areas. Permanent resident populations also exist. Juveniles occur in coastal areas. Adults solitary, in pairs, or schools; young in large schools. Feeds mainly on teleost fishes and cephalopods, also lobsters, shrimps, crabs, including other sharks and rays. Viviparous. Produces 15-31, of 43-55 cm young

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Sphyrna lewini
Family: Sphyrnidae (Hammerhead / bonnethead / scoophead sharks)
Order: Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks)
Class: Elasmobranchii (Sharks and Rays)
Maximum length: 430
Common length: 360
Depth range: 0–512 m (0–1680 ft)
Environment: Marine; brackish; pelagic-oceanic; oceanodromous; depth range 0 - 512 m, usually 0 - 25 m
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Circumglobal in coastal warm temperate and tropical seas. Western Atlantic: New Jersey, USA to Uruguay, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Eastern Atlantic: western Mediterranean to Namibia. Indo-Pacific: Red Sea, East Africa and throughout the Indian Ocean; Japan to New Caledonia, Hawaii and Tahiti. Eastern Pacific: southern California, USA to Ecuador, probably Peru.
Conservation status (IUCN): Endangered (EN) (A2bd+4bd)
Threat to humans: Other
Uses: Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience: Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (rm=0.028; K=0.1; tm=4-15; tmax=35; Fec=13-23)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026