Hammerhead sharks

Bonnethead

Sphyrna tiburo

The smallest commonly encountered hammerhead, with a smooth shovel-shaped head.

EstuaryShallow waterSchooling

View recent sightings

10 observationsin our coverage data · past 365 days

Typical sizeAbout 3–4 ft

MaximumAbout 5 ft

Family size comparisonAbout 5 ft maximum

Dad, Daughter, Son & Mom

Family of fourBonnethead · About 5 ft

Every figure uses the same scale. The shark image is shown at the species’ published maximum length; individual animals vary.

Habitat

Shallow bays, estuaries, reefs, and continental shelves in warm coastal water.

Geographic range

Western Atlantic, including the U.S. Southeast, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and northern South America.

Depth

Usually shallower than 40 ft

Diet

Crabs, shrimp, mollusks, small fish, and seagrass material.

How to recognize it

A smooth, rounded shovel-shaped head with eyes at the outer edges.

Reproduction

Live-bearing; females gather in shallow water during pupping season.

Species facts

Did you know?

Bonnetheads can form schools numbering in the hundreds during migrations.

They are the only sharks known to deliberately digest substantial seagrass as part of an omnivorous diet.

Awareness, not a live shark tracker.An observation is a report from a past time and place—not a prediction of where an animal is now. Species facts do not establish the size, age, behavior, or current location of the observed animal.