Latin name

Sphyrna tiburo

Other names

Bonnet

Identification

The bonnethead shark is characterized by the presence of eyes located at the far ends of the elongated lateral blades. The shark has a smooth, broadly expanded head, often described as "shovel-shaped", which is more curved than the heads of other hammerheads. In addition, there is no median groove on the front part of the head.

Distribution

These fish are found in the western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina (sometimes Rhode Island) to southern Brazil, and around Cuba and the Bahamas, and in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Southern California to Ecuador.

Habitat

No information

Size

The world record of all tackle is held by a fish weighing 23 pounds, 11 ounces, caught off the coast of Georgia in 1994.

Life history and Behavior

No information

Food and feeding habits

No information

Reproduction

Gray or grayish-brown in color, the bonnethead shark rarely exceeds 3 feet in length, maturing at about this length to bear 6 to 12 live young at a time.