hammerhead shark

hammerhead shark

The biggest hammerhead shark is called Sphyrna mokarran. The second dorsal fin is also tall with a highly concave rear border, while the first dorsal fin is very tall with a pointed tip and severely falcate in shape. Unlike S. lewini's oblique cusps, this hammerhead's teeth are triangular and sharply serrated.

The greatest overall size of great hammerhead sharks, which are viviparous, has been estimated to be between 550 and 610 cm, although mature adults often measure 450 cm. Females only reproduce once every two years, resulting in litter sizes ranging from 6 to 33 (with a maximum of 42), pups being born after 11 months of gestation, and thus increasing the species' susceptibility to population decline. Despite having one of the oldest ages for any elasmobranch (44 years), great hammerheads grow at roughly the same rate as other large hammerhead species. Males mature in the waters near Australia at a length of 7.4 feet (2.25 m), which corresponds to a weight of 113 pounds (51 kg), and females at a length of 6.9 feet (2.10 m), which corresponds to a weight of 113 pounds (51 kg).

LIFE HISTORY AND BEHAVIOR

The great sea lion is nomadic and migratory throughout its global coastal-pelagic tropical distribution, unlike other Sphyrnidea family members who are typically seen in groups. According to a recent study, a person traveled 1,200 kilometers in 62 days from South Florida's coast in the United States to the playmaker off the coast of Jersey (USA).

Great hammerhead sharks can cover such vast distances in a very short period of time, which suggests that the species may be migrating into international waters. The species has been seen in the Bahamas using designated areas or rest stops along what are thought to be the animals' migratory routes. Because many people return year after year to the same sites in the waters of the Bahamas, Florida, and the Northern Gulf of Mexico, they are also seasonal residents (up to 5 months) and have high levels of site fidelity.

ABUNDANCE AND RELATIONSHIP

S. mokarran is found in tropical waters all across the world, between latitudes of 40°N and 35°S. It is a species of hammerhead that may be found in oceans around the world at depths of between 1 and 300 meters. It is coastal-pelagic and semi-oceanic. It can be found close to shore and far offshore, over continental shelves, in coastal areas close to island terraces, in passes and lagoons of coral atolls, and in deep water close to land where it coexists with the scalloped hammerhead, another tropic resident, and the smooth hammerhead, which prefers cooler waters. Early life stages of the species make use of inshore habitats.

THREATS

hammerhead shark

Sharks on reefs in the wider Caribbean region have been shown to most frequently occur in places with low human population density or in a small number of locations with strict fishing restrictions or conservation measures in place. Threats to the integrity of coastal habitats that act as nursery areas for several species of sharks, including hammerheads, come from both the natural world and people. Changing salinity and temperature as a result of rising water temperatures and other effects of climate change are examples of environmental risks. Other significant man-made hazards to coastal shark populations include destructive fishing methods and habitat loss and degradation. Great shark populations have been declining in coastal habitats, which has had significant ecological ramifications.

S. mokarran is specifically targeted and accidentally caught in fisheries. They are really easy to catch with nets because of their anatomy, particularly the huge body and laterally enlarged head. Sphyrnids are also extremely sensitive to stress and frequently perish following capture, even if they are returned to the sea alive. It is known that many nations eat hammerhead meat, which is typically salted or smoked. Large hammerheads are also highly desired in the leisure industry, especially for individuals looking to set records. Due to the size of their fins, hammerhead sharks, specifically S. mokarran, have been identified as a preferred target species. According to traders, hammerhead fins were among the most expensive fin varieties.

THE STATUS OF ABUNDANCE AND CONSERVATON

Only infrequent occurrences in historical sources provide any information on the magnitude of the great hammerhead shark population worldwide. Data on great hammerhead shark abundance in the past and present is also hard to find for the wider Caribbean region. According to estimates, the Great Hammerhead shark's population has shrunk significantly over the past three generations, by more than 80%. Hammerhead shark reductions were also among the most severe of any species evaluated in the majority of long-term shark fisheries evaluation studies conducted around the world, and hammerheads declined the fastest of any species. However, after protection measures were implemented in 2005, the species' population in the Atlantic has grown.

The IUCN classifies great hammerheads as "critically endangered" with a "declining" population trend due to these fishing pressures and severe population decreases. Regionally, the species is considered to be endangered in the Northwest Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, and critically endangered in the Eastern Atlantic. In comparison, South Atlantic stock data, which the IUCN did not use due to low catch rates and wide confidence intervals, revealed a 61.7 percent decrease in CPUE of all hammerheads from 1998 to 2008 (Sphyrna spp.). The most recent pelagic longline surveys carried out by NOAA are the basis for this data.

AUTHENTICITY STATUS

The trade in Sphyrnidae is not heavily regulated, and little is known about the scope of both illegal trade activities. Fining sharks at sea is prohibited by the majority of Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMO) regulations and some national legislation (discarding the carcass and transshipping the fins at sea). Members of the International Council for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) are also forbidden from keeping great hammerhead shark parts or entire carcasses on board, transshipping, landing, storing, selling, or offering them for sale.