Common Hammerhead Shark, Spiny Dogfish 249 



Common Hammerhead Shark 

 Sphyrna zygaena (Linnaeus) 



Color: Upper part of body dark olive-gray or brown-gray, 

 sides lighter. Undersurface gray-white. 

 Distribution: World-wide in warm and temperate waters. 

 In the western Atlantic found from Uruguay to southern 

 New England and as a stray as far north as Nova Scotia. 

 Size: May grow to 13 feet and over 900 pounds. 

 General Information: Often seen near the surface of the 

 water both offshore and inshore. In summer, large schools 

 are frequently reported moving along the shores of New 

 York and New Jersey. Feeds mainly on fish, but squid, 

 crabs, and shrimp are also eaten. Matures at 7-8 feet. 

 From 29 to 37 young have been counted in a single gravid 

 female. The young are probably 19-20 inches long at birth. 

 Economic Importance: Used to some extent for meal, oil, 

 and leather in Florida and the West Indies. Readily takes 

 a bait and is frequently caught by the angler. 



Spiny Dogfish 

 Squalus acanthias Linnaeus 



Color: Upper portion of body slate gray; lower portion 

 pale gray to white. Scattered white spots over body of 

 smaller specimens. 



