Scalloped bonnethead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Scalloped bonnethead |
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Sphyrna
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| Species: |
corona
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| Range of the scalloped bonnethead | |
The scalloped bonnethead (Sphyrna corona) is a special kind of hammerhead shark. It's not very well known and is quite rare. People sometimes call it the mallethead shark or the crown shark because of its unique head shape.
You can find this shark in warm, tropical, and subtropical parts of the eastern Pacific Ocean. Its home ranges from Mexico all the way down to Peru. It might even live as far north as the Gulf of California. This shark likes to stay close to shore, often in shallow waters up to 100 meters (about 330 feet) deep. It prefers areas with soft bottoms like mud, sand, or gravel. It also swims into mangrove forests and estuaries, which are places where rivers meet the sea.
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What Does a Scalloped Bonnethead Look Like?
The scalloped bonnethead is probably the smallest type of hammerhead shark. It usually grows up to 92 centimeters (about 3 feet) long. Imagine a baseball bat – that's roughly how long it is!
Its Unique Head Shape
This shark has a very special head that looks a bit like a mallet or a hammer. Scientists call this a "cephalofoil." It's moderately wide and long, making up about a quarter of the shark's total length. The front edge of its head is curved, with small dips on the sides and in the middle. It doesn't have any special grooves near its nostrils.
Its mouth is small and has a strong curve. The fin on its underside, called the anal fin, is long and has a mostly straight back edge. The shark's body is gray on top and white underneath. It doesn't have any big, noticeable marks on its fins.
How to Tell It Apart from Similar Sharks
There's another shark called the scoophead (Sphyrna media) that looks a lot like the scalloped bonnethead. But you can tell them apart! The scoophead has a shorter snout (the part of its head in front of its eyes) and a wider mouth. Also, the back edge of its anal fin is deeply curved, not straight like the scalloped bonnethead's.
Life Cycle and Diet
Like other hammerhead sharks, the scalloped bonnethead gives birth to live young. This means the babies grow inside the mother until they are ready to be born. It's thought that a mother shark usually has two pups at a time.
Growing Up
When they are born, young scalloped bonnetheads are about 23 centimeters (9 inches) long. That's about the length of a ruler! Scientists have seen a young male shark that was 51 centimeters (20 inches) long, and an adult that was 67 centimeters (26 inches) long.
What Do They Eat?
The scalloped bonnethead hunts for food on or near the ocean floor. It has a varied diet, meaning it eats many different things. Its favorite foods include:
- Crustaceans (like crabs and shrimp)
- Molluscs (like snails and clams)
- Cephalopods (like squid and octopuses)
- Echinoderms (like sea stars and sea urchins)
- Small bony fishes
Conservation Status
The scalloped bonnethead is considered a rare species. It might be caught by local fishing boats that fish close to shore. However, there isn't a lot of information or data about how many are caught. This makes it harder for scientists to know exactly how well this species is doing.
Images for kids
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The underside of a scalloped bonnethead's head.
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The top side of a scalloped bonnethead's head.
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The jaws of a scalloped bonnethead.
