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Hammerhead Sharks Essay

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Hammerhead Sharks Marine Science/ Per. 1      Sharks are one of the most feared sea animals. They live in oceans across the world but are most common in tropical waters. There are over three hundred fifty species of sharks. They can be broadly categorized into the following four groups: Squalomorphii, Squatinomorphii, Batoidea, and Galeomorphii. The shark family Sphyrnidae that includes the Hammerheads are part of the Galeomorphic classification. They are probably the most easily recognizable of all the sharks. The Hammerheads are among the strangest looking sharks. As the name indicates they have a flattened head which resembles the head of a hammer. Their eyes and nostrils are at the ends of the hammer. …show more content…

     Sharks generally have a small brain in comparison to their body weight. Among sharks hammerheads have a relatively large brain-body weight ratio. Sharks differ form most other fish in several ways. Sharks have a boneless skeleton made of cartilage that is a tough elastic substance. Most sharks have a rounded body shaped like a torpedo. This shape helps them swim efficiently. Hammerheads are especially good swimmers because of the hydrodynamic function of their head.      All sharks are carnivorous. Most eat live fish, including other sharks. Most sharks eat their prey whole, or tear off large chunks of flesh at a time. They also eat dying animals. Hammerheads have definite food preferences. Their elongated head may help them locate the prey they prefer. The Great Hammerhead likes to eat stingrays. This was observed when the stomach contents of a hammerhead were examined and stingray spines were found. Stingrays are usually difficult to detect because they are partially buried in the sediment. Yet, the hammerhead is capable of finding them because they can swim close to the bottom swinging their heads in a wide arc like a metal detector.      Sharks reproduce internally. Unlike most fish sharks eggs are fertilized internally. The male shark has two organs called claspers which release sperm into the female where it fertilizes the egg. In many sharks the

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