Cabeza de pala vs Cachona

Sphyrna tiburo compared with Sphyrna mokarran

Key Differences

• Cabeza de pala is Endangered while Cachona is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cabeza de pala	Cachona
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class same	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)
Order same	Carcharhiniformes (Ground Sharks)	Carcharhiniformes (Ground Sharks)
Family same	Sphyrnidae (Hammerhead Sharks)	Sphyrnidae (Hammerhead Sharks)
Genus same	Sphyrna (Hammerhead Sharks)	Sphyrna (Hammerhead Sharks)
Species	Sphyrna tiburo	Sphyrna mokarran

Evolutionary Relationship

Cabeza de pala and Cachona share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Sphyrna. (Hammerhead Sharks)

Conservation Status

Cabeza de pala

EN — Endangered

Cachona

CR — Critically Endangered

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cabeza de pala	Cachona
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	40 years
Average Length	—	5.0 m
Average Weight	—	450.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cabeza de pala

Habitat

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

Cachona

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.

Cabeza de pala

The Bonnet hammerhead (Sphyrna tiburo) is a species in the genus Sphyrna. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in marine environments from coastal waters to deep ocean.

Cachona

El gran tiburón martillo (Sphyrna mokarran), la mayor especie de tiburón martillo, alcanza hasta 6 metros y se encuentra en aguas costeras tropicales y subtropicales de todo el mundo. Su distintiva cabeza en forma de T (cefalofolia) aumenta dramáticamente la superficie sensorial para la electrorrecepción, permitiéndole detectar rayas enterradas bajo la arena con excepcional precisión — las rayas son su presa preferida. En Peligro Crítico, con poblaciones que han disminuido drásticamente debido a las aletas de alto valor y la mortalidad como captura incidental.