QUIZ: Dive Into the Hammerhead Shark Challenge!

While the great white shark might be one of the most well-known of all sharks, the hammerhead shark is easily the most recognizable.

Instead of the more common pointed head of many shark species, the hammerhead shark has a wide head, some think it looks like a hammer (hence the name), or a mallet, with its eyes on each end of its head.

The “hammer” shaped head is called a cephalofoil. The wide shape of the cephalofoil provides a wide space for sensory organs called ampullae of Lorenzini; these sensory organs help the shark detect electrical fields which could be signs of prey (e.g., muscle contractions, heart beats, and gill movements).

These highly efficient sensory organs can help the hammerhead shark find one of its favorite foods, the stingray, and can even detect prey that is buried beneath the sand.

Download Shark Fun! Activity Guide for kids and families.

Download Shark Fun! Activity Guide for kids and families.

Kids’ Corner with Ranger Rick®

• Watch: Hammerhead Shark Sing-a-Long
• Watch: Shark Family Reunion with Nina the Nurse Shark
• Watch: Fish Clean a Shark’s Teeth
• Watch: Sharks4Kids
• Play: Shark Kahoot
• Play: Whale Shark Kahoot
• Make: Shark Hat Craft

More Resources About Sharks:

• Quiz: Sharks! The Amazing Creatures That Are Older Than Dinosaurs
• Sharks in the Parks, NWF Blog
• Not So Scary After All: Shark Facts You Might Not Know, NWF Blog
• NWF’s Affiliate Resolution “Protecting Sharks to Safeguard our Oceans”
• Plastic Pollution Impacts on Wildlife, NWF’s Plastics Reduction Partner Program
• Sharks in Atlantic, Gulf, and Caribbean Coastal Waters