Hammerfish. Is the giant hammerhead shark dangerous for humans? Why is the fish called hammerhead shark?

Many fans of tattoo art choose for themselves those images that can highlight the strong qualities of their character and their aspirations in life. Usually these are representatives of the animal world, because our ancestors endowed almost each of them with special symbolism, which is alive in our minds to this day. However, there are enough originals who do not want to be content with the already familiar wolves, tigers, eagles and owls and choose as sketches images of rather unusual animals, for example, a hammerhead fish, the meaning of which we will discuss today.

Origins of symbolism

The hammerhead fish or hammerhead shark lives in temperate and tropical waters all oceans. The body of these marine predators can reach a length of 7-8 meters. If we talk about how representatives of ancient cultures treated it and modern people, you can hardly find a difference between this species of shark and the rest. However, some adjustments are still made by behavioral features that are uncharacteristic of other types of sharks and, of course, such an eccentric appearance.

If you ask a European, a Chinese and a Hawaiian what associations they have with a shark, the answers will definitely be different. Residents of the Middle Kingdom, for example, have always valued shark fins, considering them a powerful aphrodisiac, a means of toning the body and strengthening the immune system. The islanders saw these powerful predators from depths of the sea their patronesses, deified them, worshiped them.

Hollywood has become the culprit of the fact that sharks are associated with the most dangerous animals, which, as soon as they see a person, immediately rush at him and tear him to shreds. In fact, people are not part of the usual diet of sharks; they attack mainly when they feel danger, simply guided by the innate instinct of self-preservation. But it is worth noting that with regard to hammerhead sharks, the directors of Hollywood blockbusters are still right in some ways: this type of shark is indeed much more aggressive than all others, therefore the meaning of a hammerhead fish tattoo is clearly related to aggression.

By the way, there is a mystery associated with these creatures that scientists still cannot solve. Hammerhead sharks are capable of gathering in huge flocks in underwater rocks, and these meetings reach their climax around noon, and in the late afternoon the predators go about their business. It’s also surprising how well the hammerhead shark navigates even in muddy water. There is an assumption that her brilliant navigation abilities are due to the ability to orient herself using magnetic field Earth.

Hammerhead symbolism in tattoo art

Although the designation of a hammerhead shark tattoo seems intuitive, it is still worth taking a closer look at what this marine predator can tell about its owner:

• Aggression, danger. It is possible that the person who chose the image of a hammerhead shark as a sketch for a tattoo wants to inform the world that it is better not to behave too rashly with him, he should be careful, otherwise a response will follow immediately. Perhaps he is hostile to the world, having his own reasons.
• Force. It's about both physical strength and strength of character. The owner of a tattoo with a hammerhead shark is a person who is able to overcome difficult situations with dignity. life situations, he is ready to fight difficulties to the last, to swim against the tide if circumstances require it. He is aware of the strength of his spirit and does not hesitate to declare it to the whole world.
• Fearlessness. What could such a powerful and formidable predator be afraid of? Likewise, the owner of a hammerhead fish tattoo is fearless in the face of fate, he is ready to face any challenges that life has in store for him and to survive, no matter what.
• Power. This predator from the depths of the sea really has the right to feel like a king in the water element. Its powerful body, high maneuverability and deadly jaws give it the ability to dominate many other species and provide rich prey. Therefore, the meaning of a hammerhead shark tattoo often comes down to the fact that its owner has leadership qualities and is able to proudly bear the burden of power.

Plot and composition

Hammerhead shark tattoos are equally suitable for girls and boys, because this predator symbolizes those character qualities that can be characteristic of any person, regardless of gender, social status and worldview. However, more often it is men who choose sketches with these underwater inhabitants.

Colorful sleeves with seascapes look very cool. A hammerhead shark can act as the center of a composition, when algae sway around the blue background of water, corals turn red, and lies on the bottom sea ​​stars, and small bright fish, stingrays and translucent jellyfish swim past. Realism is a rather complex style to execute, so such work can cost a decent amount, and you should only contact a truly experienced and to a talented master. In addition, work on a sleeve may take several months due to its scale, but in the end you will become the owner of a bright and original tattoo that will be admired by everyone who sees it.

The marine theme is also often played out in old-school and new-school styles. Clear wide contours bright colors and the relative simplicity of the image will make the tattoo laconic and noticeable from afar, without requiring much space on the body. While old-school tattoos may seem too primitive to some, the same cannot be said for new-school tattoos. The shark can be depicted in a color palette that is completely unusual for it, or even made anthropomorphic by placing it on fancy head vintage top hat, enclosing her portrait in a vintage oval frame.

Fans of monochrome works should take a closer look at Polynesian tattoos. These images are not oversaturated big amount details, the ornament is usually quite simple, but the tattoo looks bright and catchy. Moreover, given the attitude of the islanders towards these underwater predators, the tattoo may take on a deeper meaning.

Photos and sketches of hammerhead fish tattoos

One of the most amazing inhabitants of the underwater depths is the hammerhead fish. Although it may seem harmless, in fact this predator poses a danger even to humans.

Family Hammerheads

Scientists know nine species of hammerhead sharks, differing in color, size, head shape and the waters in which they live. This whole family is divided into two genera: Eusphyra and Sphyrna. In the first group there is only one representative - the wing-headed shark. Her “hammer” is equal in size to almost half of her body, and the width of her head differs from other representatives of this family. There are eight more “sisters” in the second group, the largest of which can reach 6 meters. This entire family is related to felids, mustelids and gray sharks.

Appearance

Many people are attracted by the way the hammerhead fish looks. The body of the predator is practically no different from the shark we are used to. It has a streamlined shape, and the color varies depending on the genus. Basically, the back is dark (gray, brown), and the belly is light. But it is the head that is of particular interest. Its shape is T-shaped. The structure of the head itself depends on the “breed” of the predator; it can be large or, conversely, small in size. But the main thing is that each individual has a unique shape, which is why it is called a hammerhead fish. The photo can be seen below. The eyes are located at the ends of the “processes” of the head. These fish are able to see 360 ​​degrees. It is interesting that in these predators the vision depends on the latitude of the “hammer”. The larger it is, the better the area in front of it is visible.

What does it eat?

The hammerhead is a predator that feeds on other fish, shellfish, skates and crayfish. It is known that these sharks are not afraid even of stingrays, so their diet may include these underwater inhabitants. This fish has a very flexible body, which allows it to make deft maneuvers without giving the prey a chance to break away. In addition, powerful fins give the fish speed. The shape of the head serves as a kind of stabilizer when moving. All these characteristics make the hammerhead shark a winner in fights, even with an opponent that is larger than it. In addition, agility allows her to attack not only predatory fish, but also on mammals.

Although the hammerhead is a fearless hunter, it is a lazy fish. Therefore, some sailors noticed how schools of these sharks followed huge ships for several days, feeding on waste that people threw overboard.

Danger to humans

Looking at the small mouth of a hammerhead shark located at the bottom of its head, you can hardly say that it poses a danger to humans. Of course, this predator does not specifically hunt people, but still it is in third place in the number of attacks on vacationers. The fact is that hammerhead fish become very aggressive during the breeding season, and to breed young they swim to warm waters off the coast. It is in these places that holidaymakers usually relax. In a fight with this creature, a person never remains victorious.

But hammerhead sharks also become victims of people because they are valuable product fishing industry. The fins, liver and meat of the predator are highly valued in cooking. These parts are very tasty and are in huge demand. The remains are ground into flour, from which fish products are prepared. In addition, shark skin is no less valuable.

Reproduction

The shape of the head is not the only thing that attracts hammerhead fish. The description of how these predators reproduce is also surprising. They are viviparous, while other fish spawn. Mothers carry their young in much the same way as mammals. At birth, the baby’s “hammer” is turned towards the body in order to be born without difficulty. Gradually, the head of the fish becomes like that of adults.

At one time, a mother can bring from 15 to 30 babies, who are already “taught” to swim well. The length of each reaches approximately half a meter. But after a few months they become one meter tall and show aggression, like all adults.

Habitats

These sharks prefer to be in temperate and warm waters. They can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. While the fish is still young, it stays in shallow water or at the bottom of bays. In these places it is easier for them to acquire the skill of a hunter. Growing up, they go deep-sea diving.

Oceans and seas have always attracted man, revealing unknown depths, many secrets and mysteries. And to this day, despite numerous scientific expeditions and the colossal work of oceanographers, the depths of " big water“There are still many secrets hidden under the veil of secrecy.

flickr/Eric Orchin

The hammerhead shark deserves special attention, which can rightfully be called one of the most ferocious and merciless predators of the deep sea. The study of this predator has revealed many amazing things and frightening facts that are unique to this hunter.

Hammerhead sharks (lat. Sphyrnidae) are a fast, cunning and extremely resourceful predator that is not afraid of almost anything and easily attacks humans. On the “danger pedestal,” the hammerhead shark ranks third, second only to the tiger shark. History contains many exciting facts that are associated with hammerhead fish. For example, in one of these sharks caught, the corpse of a man was discovered, which entirely fit into the belly of this merciless killer.

Its usual habitat is warm waters, however, this does not prevent the shark from feeling quite comfortable in cool northern waters. Possessing body length from 4 to 7 meters, the hammerfish is “armed” amazing abilities an unsurpassed predator, which are reflected in the structure of her strong and incredibly flexible body.

Evolution, which has been perfecting this shark for more than two tens of millions of years, has endowed it with everything it needs. Ultra-strong, razor-sharp teeth, which are arranged in several rows, and are capable of literally tearing apart any victim in a matter of seconds. The natural camouflage coloring of the body makes it practically invisible in the water column.

Powerful fins and strong muscles allow them to develop tremendous speed. Unparalleled sensory organs are capable of finding prey many kilometers away, perceiving electromagnetic signals, sensing blood and even the fear of their prey. And the shark’s head itself, which is shaped like a hammer, gives the predator phenomenal maneuverability, becoming a movement stabilizer and leaving virtually no chance for the prey to escape.

All this suggests that if a hammerhead fish has chosen a target, then there is little that can save that target. The weight of a hammerhead shark can reach several hundred kilograms, and the largest specimen caught weighed 363 kilograms, with a length of almost 8 meters.

The hammerhead fish is at the top of the food chain, without any direct enemies. This allows her to attack any fish and mammals that live in the area without much risk. sea ​​waters. The cunning, strength and dexterity of this predator are very often the key to victory over an opponent larger than itself.

The hammerhead shark, like its closest relatives - other sharks, does not have an air bubble in the structure of its body. To maintain its buoyancy, it has to constantly move, which means looking for prey and always being “alert.” It is almost impossible to take this shark by surprise. She always imposes her terms of the “game” on the victim and always turns out to be the winner.

The world that is close to us, but difficult to study and observe, is undersea world. Despite the fact that it is very close, it has been studied less than the surface of Mars. Nevertheless, people are interested in the unusual, and sometimes mysterious, inhabitants of this kingdom. Even toy manufacturers are stirring up this interest: for example, the giant hammerhead shark CO.MAXI, released not long ago by DeAgostini, makes children wonder what kind of creature this is, how it lives and how dangerous it is.

Description

The body of this fish is similar to that of its relatives, except for the unique shape of the skull. The basking hammerhead shark is the most... major representative not only of the hammerhead family, but also one of the largest sharks in general. Apart from the Arctic, these fish can be found in all oceans. This predator often appears even off the rather cold shores of the Primorsky Territory of Russia - in the summer they are frequent guests in the Sea of ​​Japan.

It is noticeably different from its relatives in the unique structure of the skull - on the head of the fish there is a growth in the shape of a regular rectangle. Its span is 25-27% of the entire body, while Front edge very slightly curved. This shark's mouth is shaped like a strongly curved sickle. The teeth are quite small, triangular, their edges are jagged. There are 17 rows of teeth in the upper jaw of a shark, and 16-17 in the lower jaw.

All shark fins are shaped like a sickle. The largest is the anterior dorsal one. Distinctive feature of young individuals is the dark corner of the posterior dorsal fin. The trailing edge of all fins has significant curvature.

The body is unevenly colored: dark brown, gray and olive on the back, very light, almost white, on the belly. No spots or patterns were observed on any individual.

The giant hammerhead shark, the description of which can kill the desire to frolic in the ocean waves, has such a name for a reason. Average length body is 4-5 meters. However, much larger specimens were also encountered. It is not uncommon for fish to be about 6 meters long, but the largest shark caught was 7.89 m long. The weight of the most impressive individuals can exceed 500 kg. Heaviest weight was recorded in a female pregnant with fifty-five cubs - 580 kg.

Habitat

The giant hammerhead shark does not have a clear habitat - it likes to travel to different regions. You can see it both in the island and shelf zones of the seas and oceans. She appears in temperate latitudes, and in tropical ones.

The Atlantic Ocean is “mastered” by sharks from Uruguay to North Carolina, from Senegal to Morocco. Fish swims into the Mediterranean and Caribbean Sea, into the Gulf of Mexico.

In the Quiet and Indian Oceans giant hammerhead shark found almost everywhere: both off the coast of Australia and off Polynesia. You can meet it from Peru to Southern California.

There is information, but it is not documented, that individual specimens were caught off the coast of Mauritania, Gambia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. The shark prefers to spend time in coastal areas, hunting in the water column from the surface to at least 80 meters deep. Prefers to live in lagoons and coral reefs. It may choose a cozy place on the slopes of the islands or look for deep-sea places near the shore.

It has been noted that sharks are subject to seasonal migrations: in the warm season they head to higher latitudes.

Nutrition

The giant hammerhead shark, like any other representative of this species of fish, is a predator. She eats most of the time bony fish, crustaceans, reef (and if you're lucky, even larger) sharks, stingrays. Loves very much seahorses and poisonous stingrays. The spines of stingrays do not interfere with the predator at all - there are known cases when hundreds of these tools were stuck in the belly of a caught individual. Sometimes attacks marine mammals. There are known cases of attacks on people.

Behavior

For the most part, hammerhead sharks are loners. For hunting they use electrosensory senses, smell and binocular vision.

Reproduction

The giant hammerhead shark, a photo of which can make you give up diving, produces offspring every two years. The gestation period of embryos is 11 months. One litter can contain from 6 to 55 cubs, but such a number is rare. On average, fish bring from 20 to 40 fry. The length of newborns is 50-70 cm.

Unlike other sharks, these sharks prefer to mate near the surface of the water. Puberty occurs when the female grows to 2.5-3 meters. Males only need to reach 2.3-2.7 meters in length.

These fish live on average 20-30 years, but there are also those whose life lasts more than half a century.

Danger

In the ranking of the most dangerous creatures For humans, this fish is in the top ten (among the inhabitants of the ocean). However, in reality, shark attacks do not occur very often. Divers who met her in the water claim that most often she does not show aggression, but only curiosity. However, you shouldn’t rely too much on this when you sink to the bottom. More than one is known per person.

The main reason for the rarity of cannibalism among these sharks is its infrequent occurrence in densely populated areas. The most cases of attacks were recorded in the Philippines, Hawaii and the Florida Islands - it is in these areas that most hammerhead sharks prefer to breed.

Fishing

Despite the high danger of this fish for humans, the latter poses a much greater danger to the entire species. High taste qualities shark fins have led to active fishing for this fish. They are especially fond of it in Asian countries - in these regions fish are being destroyed at a gigantic rate. Currently, its numbers are very small and continue to decline. These days, the hammerhead shark is endangered. It is for this reason that it was listed in the International Red Book. Which, however, does not prevent certain groups of people from continuing to engage in its fishing.

The hammerhead (Sphyrna) is a shark whose head is shaped like a hammer. In India it is called the horned shark.

Why does she have such a strange head shape? There is a hypothesis that their “hammer” head serves as their rudder. Scientists managed to uncover this secret. Until now, it was believed that this unusual head shape with eyes directed in different directions gives the shark the ability to see better and aim more accurately during the hunt. A new opinion of scientists says that the head helps the shark to swim and maneuver deftly, but in addition it serves as a good sensitive organ that is able to sense the electromagnetic field of the prey. Also, this head shape allows the hammerhead shark to swallow a large number of production

The hammerhead fish feeds on other fish - herring, squid, stingrays, crabs, sardines, swordfish, sea bass.

Some fish, trying to escape from the fangs of the hammerhead fish, bury themselves in the sand and freeze there. But they also have no chance, because while they are alive, their bodies emit electric fields, which the hammerhead shark captures with its unusual head. It seems that she throws herself straight onto empty ground. But the shark knows that prey is sitting there. She feels it with her “dumb” head and pulls the struggling victim out of the sand.

There is a known case when a hammerhead ate four sharks of its own species, and it swallowed two of them whole, except for the head. These sharks were caught in a fishermen's net. And a voracious hammerhead shark swam by and gobbled them up.

Sometimes people become their victims. Pisces lie in wait for ships in roadsteads and can be dangerous.

In 1805, three such predators were caught in fishermen’s nets. A human torso was found in the stomach of the largest of them. Since that day, the hammerhead shark has been considered a killer.

One of the attacks took place on a crowded beach off the coast of Florida. The girl who was attacked was seriously injured, but was pulled out of the water by the lifeguard on duty. At the same time, the hammerhead shark accompanied its escaped prey all the way to the shore.

It is very difficult to escape from a shark. She swims fast. It senses prey in the water at a great distance. Researchers have received evidence that the broad hammerhead may be used as a fin. This gives her speed.

People kill sharks. But their meat is not eaten. Dishes are prepared only from the liver of hammerhead sharks. Fish will resist stubbornly if caught. Catching a shark is considered very honorable.

But, despite the fact that sharks are caught and killed, there are still no fewer of them. The thing is that every year mother sharks give birth to a lot of babies. Usually no less than forty. They are not in danger of destruction.

Scientists believe that sharks appeared on earth 40 million years ago.