Common hammerhead vs Chalrm Hua-kon-yai

Sphyrna zygaena compared with Sphyrna mokarran

Key Differences

Common hammerhead is Not Evaluated while Chalrm Hua-kon-yai is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common hammerhead	Chalrm Hua-kon-yai
Kingdom same	Animalia (สัตว์)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum same	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)
Class same	Chondrichthyes (ปลากระดูกอ่อน)	Chondrichthyes (ปลากระดูกอ่อน)
Order same	Carcharhiniformes (อันดับปลาฉลามครีบดำ)	Carcharhiniformes (อันดับปลาฉลามครีบดำ)
Family same	Sphyrnidae (Hammerhead Sharks)	Sphyrnidae (Hammerhead Sharks)
Genus same	Sphyrna (Hammerhead Sharks)	Sphyrna (Hammerhead Sharks)
Species	Sphyrna zygaena	Sphyrna mokarran

Evolutionary Relationship

Common hammerhead and Chalrm Hua-kon-yai share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Sphyrna. (Hammerhead Sharks)

ดู: Genus: Sphyrna

Conservation Status

Common hammerhead

NE — Not Evaluated

Chalrm Hua-kon-yai

CR — Critically Endangered

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common hammerhead	Chalrm Hua-kon-yai
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	40 years
Average Length	—	5.0 m
Average Weight	—	450.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common hammerhead

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Chile, Denmark, Portugal, Sweden, and Taiwan.

Chalrm Hua-kon-yai

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.

Common hammerhead

The common hammerhead, <em>Sphyrna zygaena</em>, is a cartilaginous fish belonging to the order Carcharhiniformes, family Sphyrnidae. This species is typically found in marine environments and has a distribution that includes the waters of Chile, Denmark, Portugal, Sweden, and Taiwan, reflecting a wide range across both Atlantic and Pacific Ocean systems. As a hammerhead shark, <em>Sphyrna zygaena</em> possesses the characteristic cephalofoil, the laterally expanded head structure that provides enhanced sensory capabilities and hydrodynamic benefits. Hammerhead sharks are generally known to be active, wide-ranging predators within marine ecosystems. No dietary information has been provided for this specific species in current records. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Chalrm Hua-kon-yai

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.