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Hammerhead sharks are a family of fishes with a distinctive flattened, hammer-shaped head that extends on both sides of their body. This unusual head shape helps them hunt by spreading out their sensory organs, allowing them to detect prey more effectively across a wider area.
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The hammer-like shape of the head means that hammerhead sharks can sweep for prey more effectively.
The hammerhead sharks are a group of sharks that form the family Sphyrnidae, named for the unusual and distinctive form of their heads, which are flattened and laterally extended into a cephalofoil (a T-shape or "hammer"). The shark's eyes are placed one on each end of this T-shaped structure, with their small mouths directly centered and underneath. Most hammerhead species are placed in the genus Sphyrna, while the winghead shark is placed in its own genus, Eusphyra. Many different—but not necessarily mutually exclusive—functions have been postulated for the cephalofoil, including sensory reception, manoeuvering, and prey manipulation. The cephalofoil gives the shark superior binocular vision and depth perception, as well as increased surface area for electroreceptors.