Sphyrna lewini

The body of the Scalloped Hammerhead is elongated, laterally flattened and stout. The front of the head is flattened, and the sides are particularly expanded, forming a very wide hammer-like protrusion, resembling a wide bun. The snout is short and wide, with a wavy front edge and a distinct concave central area. The eyes are small, round, and the nictitating membrane is well developed. The anterior nasal groove is fully developed and located in front of the nostrils. The mouth is large and arc-shaped; the upper and lower jaw teeth are of the same type, laterally flattened and triangular, with inclined tooth heads, smooth edges, and no small tooth tips. The blowhole is absent. The first dorsal fin is tall and upright, sickle-shaped, and starts above the middle of the pectoral fin base; the second dorsal fin is small and low, starting behind the anal fin starting point; the pelvic fin rear edge is straight or slightly concave; the anal fin is slightly larger than the second dorsal fin;

The scalloped hammerhead shark is distributed in the temperate to tropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. It also lives in the western Mediterranean. In China, it is commonly found in the South China Sea, East China Sea and Yellow Sea.
Its habitat is the ocean, deep sea, reef area, sandy mud bottom, estuary, and coastal area. It is carnivorous and feeds on other soft and bony fishes, cephalopods, crustaceans and other benthic organisms.

The eyes and nostrils of the scalloped hammerhead shark are located on the left and right sides of the head. Unlike other hammerhead sharks, the front end of the hammerhead-shaped head of the scalloped hammerhead shark has three obvious round tooth-like indentations. Its peculiar head shape may increase its buoyancy in the water, and it may be more flexible in turning than other sharks. The head of the scalloped hammerhead shark has many small holes, which are used to "catch" biological signals emitted by other animals, and are called "Laurence ampulla".

Hammerhead sharks often have cleaner fish clean parasites from their skin and mouths. In fact, this is a symbiotic relationship. Scalloped hammerhead sharks are strongly migratory fish. Every time the season changes, large groups of hammerhead sharks will form a huge migration team and make a long journey. Due to the continuous deterioration of the marine environment and pollution, the number of this fish species has dropped significantly, and the five major subgroups have all shown varying degrees of shrinkage and reduction.

Studies have shown that its population in the Atlantic Ocean has dropped by nearly 95%. The scalloped hammerhead shark is a common bycatch of fisheries. Its shark fins are called "spring fins" in the market and are very popular. The meat of the scalloped hammerhead shark is also widely used for food. Currently, the population of the scalloped hammerhead shark is under serious threat from overfishing and habitat destruction.

Listed in the 2007 Red List of Endangered Species of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) ver 3.1 - Endangered (EN).

Listed in the Appendix II of the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) as a protected animal.

Listed in Appendix I, II and III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 2019 Edition Appendix II.

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