# Great hammerhead (*Sphyrna mokarran*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/great-hammerhead  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) is a fish in the sharks and rays subgroup, belonging to the family Sphyrnidae in the order Carcharhiniformes. It is classified in the class Elasmobranchii, phylum Chordata and kingdom Animalia, and its genus is Sphyrna. The species was named by (Rüppell, 1837) and is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) in a global IUCN Red List assessment, an IUCN threatened category. Other English names for it include Hoe-head shark, Hammerhead shark, Scalloped hammerhead, Great hammerhead shark and Squat-headed hammerhead shark.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | up to 4.45 m |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 45 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 335 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 15.4 – 39 |
| Age at maturity | 8.3 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.5 |
| Reproduction | Live birth |
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Elasmobranchii
- order: Carcharhiniformes
- family: Sphyrnidae
- genus: Sphyrna
- species: *Sphyrna mokarran* (Rüppell, 1837)

Synonyms: *Sphyrna ligo*, *Sphyrna mokorran*, *Sphyrna mukaran*, *Zygaena dissimilis*, *Zygaena mokarran*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the great hammerhead?

The great hammerhead is a fish in the sharks and rays subgroup. It belongs to the family Sphyrnidae and the order Carcharhiniformes.

### What is the scientific name of the great hammerhead?

Its scientific name is Sphyrna mokarran, placed in the genus Sphyrna.

### Is the great hammerhead endangered?

Yes. It is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) in a global IUCN Red List assessment, which is an IUCN threatened category.

### Who named the great hammerhead and when?

The scientific name authority is written as (Rüppell, 1837).

### What other names does the great hammerhead have?

Other English names are Hoe-head shark, Hammerhead shark, Scalloped hammerhead, Great hammerhead shark and Squat-headed hammerhead shark.

### What class does the great hammerhead belong to?

It belongs to the class Elasmobranchii, in the phylum Chordata and kingdom Animalia.

## Sources

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Sharkipedia: a curated open access database of shark and ray life history traits](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6656525), CC BY 4.0, 1.0-2022-06-17. Mull, C.G., Pacoureau, N., Pardo, S.A. et al. (2022) Sharkipedia: a curated open access database of shark and ray life history traits and abundance time-series. Scientific Data 9: 559. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01655-1. Data: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6656525
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/great-hammerhead