DIVE-SEEK field image · species photo unavailableshark · hammerhead
Scalloped hammerhead
Sphyrna lewini
Schooling hammerhead of tropical seamounts, forming large daytime aggregations in current.
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Quick facts
The Scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) is a marine species divers can encounter. Typical size: 200–300 cm. Usually seen at 15–40 m depth. Where to see it: Malapascua (January–March), Aliwal Shoal, Cocos Island (June–November) and Galápagos Islands.
Summarised from DIVE-SEEK's recorded catalogue data; omitted values are not yet recorded.
Taxonomic rank
species
Typical size
200–300 cm (total_length)
Maximum size
430 cm
Typical depth
15–40 m
Maximum depth
1000 m
Conservation status
Research in progress
Photography difficulty
4 /5
Activity pattern
Diurnal schooling, nocturnal foraging.
Description
Forms large daytime schools over oceanic seamounts and disperses to hunt at night, documented by telemetry at Cocos Island. Conservation status not populated pending a verified Red List reading.
Habitat
Coastal and oceanic waters, seamounts and island slopes.
Behaviour
Schools in current over seamounts by day; solitary nocturnal hunting.
Diet
Bony fish, cephalopods and rays.
Social behaviour
Large day schools, solitary at night.
Photography notes
Skittish in the presence of bubbles. Wide angle, negative-space compositions from below; hold position in the current.
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Where to see it
Destinations
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