Great Hammerhead
Sphyrna mokarran
That head is a sensory array — electroreceptors spread wide enough to detect a stingray buried in sand. Critically endangered and extremely fragile after a long fight.
Also known as: Hammerhead
World record
Bucky Dennis · Boca Grande, Florida, USA · 2006
Overview
- Scientific name
- Sphyrna mokarran
- Family
- Sphyrnidae
- Max length
- 20' 0"
- Typical length
- 11' 6"
- Max weight
- 1,280 lb
- Depth range
- 1–300 m
- Conservation status
- Critically endangered
- Difficulty
- Expert
- Fight
- Table quality
How to catch it
Critically endangered. If one takes a bait, keep it in the water, cut the leader short and revive it. Long fights are frequently fatal to this species.
How big does it get?
What turns up on an ordinary day, and what a very good one looks like. Almost nobody catches a maximum-size fish — this is the honest spread.
1.8 m angler
Character
What this fish is actually like to catch.
Where it lives
Its band in the water column, against the ocean's real depth zones.
When to fish for it
Relative catch activity through the year, northern hemisphere.
Distribution
Trophy Score of all :n logged catches of this species. A score means nothing until you can see the population behind it.
Top catches on FishRankings
The heaviest of this species recorded by our community.
Nobody has logged one yet. Claim the top spot.
Log a catch4 Related species
| Species | Species | Worth | Max length | World record | Depth zone | Fight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giant Sea Bass Stereolepis gigas | 296 | 8' 2" | 563 lb | Reef Saltwater | Critically endangered | |
| Giant Grouper Epinephelus lanceolatus | 285 | 8' 10" | 396 lb | Reef Saltwater | Data deficient | |
| Potato Cod Epinephelus tukula | 282 | 6' 7" | 176 lb | Reef Saltwater | Data deficient | |
| Dogtooth Tuna Gymnosarda unicolor | 273 | 8' 2" | 237 lb | Reef Saltwater |
"Worth" is what a catch of that species is worth before any of your own skill counts — higher means harder to find and harder to beat.