# What Do Hammerhead Sharks Eat?

> What hammerhead sharks eat: Carnivore, foraging style, and seasonal shifts in Warm coastal and open oceans worldwide.

- **Species:** Hammerhead Shark (*Sphyrnidae*)
- **Conservation status:** Critically Endangered
- **Diet:** Carnivore
- **Habitat:** Warm coastal and open oceans worldwide
- **Lifespan:** 20–30 years or more
- **Top speed:** Around 40 km/h (25 mph) in bursts
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/hammerhead-shark/what-do-hammerhead-shark-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/hammerhead-shark/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

Hammerhead sharks are a family of coastal and open-ocean sharks (Sphyrnidae) instantly recognised by the flattened, hammer-shaped head, or cephalofoil, that spreads their eyes and sensory organs wide apart. Species range from under a metre to more than 6 m long, with large individuals weighing around 230 kg. They swim through warm seas worldwide, hunting fish, squid and rays, and can live 20 to 30 years or more. The great hammerhead is listed as Critically Endangered.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## The hammer-shaped head

The wide, flattened head that gives these sharks their name is called a cephalofoil, and it is more than an odd silhouette. Spacing the eyes far apart gives the shark a broader field of vision, while the underside is packed with electroreceptors called ampullae of Lorenzini that detect the faint electrical signals of buried prey. Sweeping the head from side to side lets a hammerhead scan the seabed like a metal detector. The shape also acts as a hydrofoil, helping the shark bank and turn sharply as it swims.

## Help protect the Hammerhead Shark

Ocean wildlife is under mounting pressure from overfishing, bycatch and plastic pollution.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/hammerhead-shark/what-do-hammerhead-shark-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.