Great hammerhead
Slug: `/species/great-hammerhead/` Scientific name: Sphyrna mokarran
The great hammerhead is the largest hammerhead species and is distinguished by its broad, nearly straight-edged cephalofoil and tall first dorsal fin.
It occurs in tropical and warm-temperate waters, including coastal and offshore habitats. Reliable species identification matters because several hammerhead species can be confused by non-specialists.
Use a confidence field for any hammerhead-associated incident and avoid collapsing all hammerheads into a great-hammerhead count.
Image: Wikimedia Commons hammerhead image licensed CC BY 2.0; confirm pictured species before assigning to this exact page. Sources: WoRMS; NOAA identification resources.
