Four-toed Hedgehog vs Great Hammerhead

Atelerix albiventris compared with Sphyrna mokarran

Key Differences

• Four-toed Hedgehog is Least Concern while Great Hammerhead is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Four-toed Hedgehog	Great Hammerhead
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)
Order	Erinaceomorpha (Erinaceomorpha)	Carcharhiniformes (Ground Sharks)
Family	Erinaceidae	Sphyrnidae (Hammerhead Sharks)
Genus	Atelerix	Sphyrna (Hammerhead Sharks)
Species	Atelerix albiventris	Sphyrna mokarran

Evolutionary Relationship

Four-toed Hedgehog and Great Hammerhead share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Four-toed Hedgehog

LC — Least Concern

Great Hammerhead

CR — Critically Endangered

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Four-toed Hedgehog	Great Hammerhead
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	40 years
Average Length	—	5.0 m
Average Weight	—	450.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Four-toed Hedgehog

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Ecuador and Spain.

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.

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.