Großer Hammerhai vs Hammerhead

Sphyrna mokarran compared with Sphyrna corona

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Großer Hammerhai	Hammerhead
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class same	Chondrichthyes (Knorpelfische)	Chondrichthyes (Knorpelfische)
Order same	Carcharhiniformes (Grundhaie)	Carcharhiniformes (Grundhaie)
Family same	Sphyrnidae (Hammerhead Sharks)	Sphyrnidae (Hammerhead Sharks)
Genus same	Sphyrna (Hammerhead Sharks)	Sphyrna (Hammerhead Sharks)
Species	Sphyrna mokarran	Sphyrna corona

Evolutionary Relationship

Großer Hammerhai and Hammerhead share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Sphyrna. (Hammerhead Sharks)

Conservation Status

Großer Hammerhai

CR — Critically Endangered

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Hammerhead

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Großer Hammerhai	Hammerhead
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	40 years	—
Average Length	5.0 m	—
Average Weight	450.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Großer Hammerhai

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.

Hammerhead

Habitat

Typically found in marine environments from coastal waters to deep ocean.

Großer Hammerhai

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.