Smooth hammerhead
Sphyrna zygaena (Linnaeus, 1758)
The smooth hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena) is a fish in the sharks and rays subgroup, belonging to the family Sphyrnidae in the order Carcharhiniformes. It was named by (Linnaeus, 1758) and is classified in the class Elasmobranchii and the genus Sphyrna.
Quick facts about the smooth hammerhead
On the IUCN Red List, the smooth hammerhead is assessed globally as Vulnerable (VU), which is a threatened category. Other English names for it include Hammerhead, Shovelhead shark, Hammerhead shark, Common hammerhead and Hammerheaded shark.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- up to 5 msrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- 20 – 40src for Young per litter or clutch
- Reproduction
- Live birthsrc for Reproduction
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the smooth hammerhead
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the smooth hammerhead live?
Not recorded
What is the smooth hammerhead?
The smooth hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena) is a species of hammerhead shark, and part of the family Sphyrnidae. This species is named "smooth hammerhead" because of the distinctive shape of the head, which is flattened and laterally extended into a hammer shape (called the "cephalofoil"), without an indentation in the middle of the front margin (hence "smooth"). Unlike other hammerheads, this species prefers temperate waters and occurs worldwide at medium latitudes. In the summer, these sharks migrate towards the poles following cool water masses, sometimes forming schools numbering in the hundreds to thousands.
The second-largest hammerhead shark after the great hammerhead shark, the smooth hammerhead can measure up to 5 m (16 ft) long. It is an active predator that takes a wide variety of bony fishes and invertebrates, with larger individuals also feeding on sharks and rays. As in the rest of its family, this shark is viviparous and gives birth to litters of 20–40 pups. A relatively common shark, it is captured, intentionally or otherwise, by many commercial fisheries throughout its range; its fins are extremely valuable for use in shark fin soup. This shark is potentially dangerous and has likely been responsible for a few attacks on humans, though it is less likely to encounter swimmers than other large hammerhead species due to its temperate habitat.
From the Wikipedia article “Smooth hammerhead” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Smooth_hammerhead&oldid=1315233485), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the smooth hammerhead endangered?
The smooth hammerhead is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.
How is the smooth hammerhead classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classElasmobranchii
- orderCarcharhiniformes
- familySphyrnidae
- genusSphyrna
- SpeciesSphyrna zygaena (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Sphyrna malleus, Sphyrna zigaena, Sphyrna zyagena, Spyrna zygaena, Squalis pictus, Squalus carolinensis, Squalus malleus, Squalus zygaena, Zygaena malleus, Zygaena subarcuata, Zygaena vulgaris, Zygoena malleus
Other names and names in other languages (99)
- Common hammerheadEnglish
- Common hammerhead sharkEnglish
- HammerheadEnglish
- Hammerhead sharkEnglish
- Hammerheaded sharkEnglish
- Shovelhead sharkEnglish
- Smooth hammerhead sharkEnglish
- SkoffelneushaaiAfrikaans
- Gladde hamerkophaaiAfrikaans
- AqrunArabic
- القرش أبو مطرقة الانسيابيArabic
- قرش رأس المطرقة السلسArabic
- قرش رأس المطرقة الشائعArabic
- JarjurArabic
- pexe martielluAsturian
- Hiu capilbcn
- Hiu bingkohbcn
- FlathedBislama
- হাতুরি হাঙরBangla
- Rinkin penn-mailhBreton
- Peix martellCatalan
- kladivoun obecnýCzech
- morgi pen morthwylWelsh
- Morgwn Pen MorthwylWelsh
- hammerhajDanish
- HamerhaiGerman
- glatter HammerhaiGerman
- ZygenaGreek
- ΖύγαιναGreek
- ΠροπέλαGreek
- ZygaenaGreek
- cornuda cruzSpanish
- cabeza de martilloSpanish
- cornuda prietaSpanish
- pez martilloSpanish
- Tiburón MartilloSpanish
- tiburón martillo cruzSpanish
- Tiburón martillo lisoSpanish
- vasarahaiFinnish
- requin marteauFrench
- Requin marteau lisseFrench
- requin-marteau communFrench
- KanerGujarati
- Mlat (riba)Serbian (Latin)
- פטישן תמים-חרטוםHebrew
- közönséges pörölycápaHungarian
- pesce martelloItalian
- Squalo martello comuneItalian
- Squalo martello liscioItalian
- シロシュモクザメJapanese
- Hiu capingJavanese
- 귀상어Korean
- paprastasis kūjaryklisLithuanian
- KakereMāori
- Mangō pareMāori
- Yu tukulMalay
- Yu bengkongMalay
- Yu mata jauhMalay
- Yu palangMalay
- hamerhaaiDutch
- Gewone hamerhaaiDutch
- Gladde hamerhaaiDutch
- Tribon martinPapiamento
- ryba młotPolish
- głowomłot pospolityPolish
- rekin młotPolish
- پدری تھؤڑاسر شارکWestern Panjabi
- CambevaPortuguese
- cornudaPortuguese
- Tubarão MarteloPortuguese
- Tubarão-marteloPortuguese
- обыкновенная акула-молотRussian
- Žralok kladivohlavýSlovak
- kladvenicaSlovenian
- navadna kladvenicaSlovenian
- peshku çekanAlbanian
- peshk karabinierAlbanian
- peshku çekiçAlbanian
- HammarhajSwedish
- slät hammarhajSwedish
- கொம்பன் சுராTamil
- Komban-sorrahTamil
- ปลาฉลามหัวค้อนขอบเรียบThai
- ÇekiçTurkish
- cekic baligiTurkish
- çekiç balığıTurkish
- cekic kopekbaligiTurkish
- çekiç köpekbalığıTurkish
- риба-молотUkrainian
- Звичайна акула-молотUkrainian
- Акула-молот звичайнаUkrainian
- 丫髻鮫Chinese
- 犛頭沙Chinese
- 白肉雙髻Chinese
- 錘頭丫髻鯊Chinese
- 錘頭雙髻鯊Chinese
- 锤头双髻鲨Chinese
- 雙過仔Chinese
- 雙髻鯊Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the smooth hammerhead
Other species in the same genus Sphyrna.
Great hammerhead
Sphyrna mokarran
Hammerhead shark
Sphyrna lewini
Bonnethead
Sphyrna tiburo
Smalleye
Sphyrna tudes
Scoophead
Sphyrna media
Crown shark
Sphyrna corona
CompareSmooth hammerhead vs Great hammerheadSmooth hammerhead vs Hammerhead sharkSmooth hammerhead vs BonnetheadSmooth hammerhead vs Smalleye
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the smooth hammerhead?
The smooth 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 smooth hammerhead?
Its scientific name is Sphyrna zygaena, placing it in the genus Sphyrna.
Who named the smooth hammerhead and when?
The species name Sphyrna zygaena is credited to (Linnaeus, 1758).
Is the smooth hammerhead endangered?
The smooth hammerhead is assessed globally as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.
What other names does the smooth hammerhead have?
Other English names are Hammerhead, Shovelhead shark, Hammerhead shark, Common hammerhead and Hammerheaded shark.
What class does the smooth hammerhead belong to?
The smooth hammerhead belongs to the class Elasmobranchii, within the phylum Chordata and the kingdom Animalia.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · 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 · 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). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · 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).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Smooth hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/smooth-hammerhead
“Smooth hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/smooth-hammerhead.
@misc{smooth_hammerhead_2026,
title = {Smooth hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/smooth-hammerhead},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}