Eusphyra
blochii
(Cuvier, 1816)
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Family:
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Sphyrnidae
(Hammerhead, bonnethead, or scoophead sharks)
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Order:
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Carcharhiniformes
(ground sharks)
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Class:
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Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays)
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In this site name:
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Winghead shark |
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Max. size:
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186 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 6871) |
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Environment: |
demersal; amphidromous (Ref. 51243); brackish; marine
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Climate: |
tropical; 31°N - 20°S |
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Importance:
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fisheries: commercial |
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Resilience: |
Very low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec=6) |
Distribution:
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Indo-West Pacific: Persian Gulf to the Philippines, north to China, south to Australia.
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Morphology:
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Dorsal
spines
(total): 0 - 0;
Anal
spines: 0. Grey or grey-brown above, paler below. Expanded lateral blades of head very narrow and wing-like, with a series of small bumps along edges in front of nostrils; width across head 40 or 50% of total length. Nostrils enormously expanded, each nearly 2 times the mouth head (Ref 13562).
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Biology: |
Found in shallow water on continental and insular shelves (Ref. 244). Enters estuaries (Ref. 4832). Feeds mainly on small teleost fishes but also takes crustaceans and cephalopods (Ref. 13562). Viviparous (Ref. 50449), with 6 to 25 pups in a litter (Ref. 6871). Has a remarkable wing-shaped head which is nearly or quite half of its body length, the function of which is uncertain, maybe for maneuvering or for increasing the surface area of some of the sense organs (Ref. 244). Probably harmless to people (Ref. 13562). Probably a common fisheries species where it occurs (Ref. 13562). Meat utilized for human consumption; liver is a source of vitamin oil (Ref. 244). Offal probably utilized for fishmeal (Ref. 13562).
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Red List Status: |
Near Threatened (NT) (Ref. 57073)
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Dangerous:
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harmless
, Compagno, L.J.V.. 1998
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Coordinator: |
Compagno, Leonard J.V.
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