Hammerhead sharks are a group of nine shark species from over a thousand species of sharks found in our oceans. It’s no surprise that people often have questions about hammerheads as they are hard to ignore and aggressive. Let’s take a closer look at what hammerhead sharks eat and whether they are dangerous to humans.
What do hammerhead sharks eat?
Hammerhead sharks, best known for their distinctive head shape, have smaller mouths than sharks of comparable size, limiting their feeding options. However, food choices differ for many species. For example, the smaller bonnethead shark (one of nine hammerhead species) is one of the few that has been observed eating algae, making it omnivorous.
Hammerhead sharks eat a diet of various types of fish, squid, crustaceans such as lobsters and eels. Hammerhead sharks are also addicted to stingray and they appear immune to the stingray’s venomous spines.
Diet of hammerhead sharks: 12 animals they eat
Hammerhead sharks eat foods such as:
Between 2000 and 2005, a study was conducted that examined the stomach contents of 556 hammerheads. It was found that 38% of the hammer stomachs were squid, and 13% were crustaceans. The most popular species of fish that hammerheads prey on are the Carangidae, Moharra, and Drumfish. In total, 72 species of fish were found in the stomachs of the hammers! About 2% of the stomachs of hammerhead sharks also contained moray eels.
It should also be noted that some of the larger hammerhead sharks are known to be cannibalistic. While it may be shocking to read, cannibalism is not uncommon in the natural world, and thousands of animal species have observed this type of feeding behavior.
How much do hammerheads eat?
No exact numbers are available, but hammerheads are assumed to be adapted feeders and will eat as much as they can catch. It is generally accepted that young puppies need to eat at least 3.5% of their weight in order to maintain growth.
What animals compete with the hammer for food?
Hammerhead sharks are top predators, so they rarely develop natural predators when they reach adulthood. However, hammerhead sharks face competition from other sharks and top predators. When resources are scarce, hammers are sometimes targeted by hungry killer whales.
How do hammerhead sharks hunt for food?
Hammerheads are usually solitary nocturnal, although large flocks of more than 100 individuals have been observed. Due to the location of the eyes at the ends of their elongated heads, the shark’s field of view is much better than that of other sharks, which helps to detect food. The lateral extension of the head allows the hammers to make quick turns while hunting. When chasing stingrays, hammerheads use their heads like hammers, pinning and banging the stingray against the ocean floor until the stingray is tired and can successfully eat it. Hammerheads also have highly sensitive electroreceptive organs that allow them to detect small electrical impulses from the intended victim.
Are hammerhead sharks dangerous to humans?
Hammers aren’t afraid of humans, but they don’t seem to be too interested in them either. Attacks are infrequent, with only 17 reported zero casualties attacks worldwide to date. It has been observed that hammerheads often show signs such as wild, distorted movements before attacking. Generally speaking, until they are provoked, the hammerhead shark will not attack a person.