Scoophead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Scoophead |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Sphyrna
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| Species: |
media
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| Range of the scoophead | |
The scoophead (Sphyrna media) is a type of hammerhead shark. It's not as well-known as some other sharks. These sharks live in warm, tropical waters. You can find them in the western Atlantic Ocean, from Panama down to southern Brazil. They also live in the eastern Pacific Ocean, from the Gulf of California to Ecuador and maybe northern Peru. Scoopheads like to stay in shallow waters close to the coast.
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About the Scoophead Shark
The scoophead is one of the smaller hammerhead sharks. It can grow up to 150 centimeters (about 5 feet) long. Adult male scoopheads are usually around 90 centimeters (3 feet) long. Female scoopheads are a bit bigger, measuring 100 to 133 centimeters (3.3 to 4.4 feet).
What Makes Them Special?
Scoopheads have a unique head shape. Their head is wide and looks a bit like a mallet or a scoop. It can be about a quarter to a third as wide as their whole body is long. The front edge of their head is curved. It has small dips in the middle and on the sides.
They look a bit like another shark called the scalloped bonnethead. But you can tell a scoophead apart by its shorter snout. Its mouth is also wide and curved. The fin on its belly, called the anal fin, has a deep curve.
Fins and Color
The first dorsal fin (the one on its back) is shaped like a sickle. The second dorsal fin is about as tall as the anal fin. Their pelvic fins (near the belly) are not sickle-shaped. They have a straight or slightly curved back edge. Scoopheads are grey-brown on top and lighter underneath. They don't have any special markings on their fins.
What Scoopheads Eat
Off the coast of Trinidad, scoopheads live alongside two other small hammerhead sharks. These are the bonnethead and the golden hammerhead. They all eat different things to avoid competing for food. Scoopheads like to eat small elasmobranchs (a group that includes sharks and rays). They also munch on octopus, squid, and flounders.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Like other hammerhead sharks, scoopheads are viviparous. This means the mother shark gives birth to live young. The baby sharks, called pups, are born measuring 34 centimeters (about 13 inches) or less.
Scoopheads and Humans
People catch scoopheads in different ways. They are caught using long fishing lines with hooks, called bottom longlines. Fishermen also use gillnets and regular hook and line. Scoopheads are caught for commercial reasons. They are sold fresh to eat or turned into fishmeal. Sometimes, scoopheads are caught by accident. This happens when fishermen are trying to catch mackerel using gillnets, especially off Trinidad.
Images for kids
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A close-up of the scoophead's unique head.
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The jaws of a scoophead shark.
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The upper teeth of a scoophead.
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The lower teeth of a scoophead.
