The mighty hammerheads, unfortunately, bear a cruel label! Termed as giant, evil ocean monsters, they are widely misread and misjudged.
These giant sharks are, unlike the on-screen cousins in famous movies, JAWS. The less known fact is that the hammerheads are giant timid creatures, shying away from human contact.
If anything, the most enormous monster they face, like most creatures on land and water, is the humans!
The big and mighty hammerheads, after thriving for thousands of centuries, are today heading towards extinction, mainly due to human activity. They are hunted down for their fins, considered a delicacy in some countries. The saddest thing is after a hammerhead’s fin is sliced off, the giant creatures are tossed back into the water. Unable to swim, the shark dies.
Even though hammerhead sharks are not hostile toward humans, they should be avoided. Contrary to the widespread fear, not a single human casualty has been reported in the only 17 unprovoked attacks reported on humans by hammerhead sharks since 1580, according to the International Shark Attack File.
The Winghead (Eusphyra blochii) numbers have declined 50 percent in 42 years from overfishing and net entanglement. The Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini)is the first shark to ever receive protection from the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Researchers swimming with hammerhead sharks have one rule: no exhaling bubbles when they’re nearby! Lest they are frightened and scurry away!
