Common hammerhead vs Great Hammerhead

Sphyrna zygaena compared with Sphyrna mokarran

Key Differences

• Common hammerhead is Not Evaluated while Great Hammerhead is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common hammerhead	Great Hammerhead
Kingdom same	Animalia (动物界)	Animalia (动物界)
Phylum same	Chordata (脊索动物门)	Chordata (脊索动物门)
Class same	Chondrichthyes (软骨鱼纲)	Chondrichthyes (软骨鱼纲)
Order same	Carcharhiniformes (真鲨目)	Carcharhiniformes (真鲨目)
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 Great Hammerhead share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Sphyrna. (Hammerhead Sharks)

Conservation Status

Common hammerhead

NE — Not Evaluated

Great Hammerhead

CR — Critically Endangered

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common hammerhead	Great Hammerhead
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.

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.

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.

Great Hammerhead

大双髻鲨是最大的双髻鲨物种，体长可达6米，分布于全球热带和亚热带沿海水域。其独特的T形头部（头翼）大幅增加了感觉表面积以用于电场感应，使其能以卓越精度探测藏在沙中的魟鱼——魟鱼是其首选猎物。由于鱼翅价值高昂以及混捕死亡，种群急剧减少，被列为极度濒危物种。

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇹🇼 Taiwan