African Openbill vs Great Hammerhead

Anastomus lamelligerus compared with Sphyrna mokarran

Key Differences

• African Openbill is Least Concern while Great Hammerhead is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African Openbill	Great Hammerhead
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)
Order	Ciconiiformes (Ciconiiformes)	Carcharhiniformes (Ground Sharks)
Family	Ciconiidae	Sphyrnidae (Hammerhead Sharks)
Genus	Anastomus	Sphyrna (Hammerhead Sharks)
Species	Anastomus lamelligerus	Sphyrna mokarran

Evolutionary Relationship

African Openbill and Great Hammerhead share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

African Openbill

LC — Least Concern

Great Hammerhead

CR — Critically Endangered

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African Openbill	Great Hammerhead
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	40 years
Average Length	—	5.0 m
Average Weight	—	450.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

African Openbill

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Germany, and Norway.

Great Hammerhead

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 5 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Neotropic and Oceanian realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Taiwan, and Venezuela. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

African Openbill

The African Openbill (Anastomus lamelligerus) is a species in the genus Anastomus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Great Hammerhead

The largest hammerhead shark species, great hammerheads reach up to 6 meters and are found in tropical and subtropical coastal waters worldwide. Their distinctive T-shaped head (cephalofoil) dramatically increases sensory surface area for electroreception, enabling them to detect buried stingrays through sand with exceptional precision — stingrays are a preferred prey. Critically Endangered, with populations declining dramatically due to highly valued fins and bycatch mortality.