Page 166 - (DK) Super Shark Encyclopedia: And Other Creatures of the Deep

WIDE-EYED SENSATION

HAMMERHEAD

It is hard to imagine what the world looks like when you have as wide a view Large olfactory
sac is excellent at
of it as a hammerhead shark. However, excellent vision is only one part of the picking up smells
hammerhead’s story. Its extraordinary head is also packed with sensors and
sweeping it from side to side helps the shark find prey. It may even
be useful in helping the shark stay buoyant while swimming.

AT A GLANCE

• SIZE 11 ⁄4–20 ft (3.6–6.1 m)
3
• HABITAT Oceans near land, but especially
over coral reefs
Long optic nerve carries
• LOCATION Worldwide in tropical and information about vision
warm waters from the eye to the brain
• DIET Many fish, but especially stingrays, Shark makes a
groupers, and catfish
grab for prey

STATS AND FACTS

HEAD WIDTH
Nearly a dozen species
ft 2 4 6 of hammerheads, all with
different hammer shapes
m 0.5 1 1.5 2 and sizes, are found
3¼–5 ft (1–1.5 m) around the world. Some
travel long distances on FINDING BURIED FOOD
MIGRATION DISTANCE their migrations.

miles 200 400 600 800
The shark sweeps its head from side to side like
MAX. SENSORY PORES
km 500 1,000 1,500 a metal detector so that the front edge of its
745 miles (1,200 km) hammer picks up signals coming from
3,000 its favorite buried prey—stingrays.

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