Species: Sphyrna media, Scoophead shark, the Scoophead

Sphyrna media Springer, 1940

Scoophead, Scoophead shark

A hammerhead shark with moderately broad, but short mallet-shaped side extensions of head (width of hammer 22-33% of TL); front margin of head broadly arched with very shallow lateral and central indentations; snout length before mouth usually ~ 1/3 of head width; only a short groove in front of nostril; mouth broadly arched; front teeth blade-like, smooth, lower teeth straight, upper teeth oblique, deeply notched on rear side, rear teeth like front teeth; five gill slits, last one over pectoral; first dorsal fin moderately large and erect, its rear margin noticeably concave, its free rear tip reaching over or behind the pelvic fin origin; second dorsal fin base about half length of anal fin base; origin of second dorsal fin above middle of anal fin; rear margin of anal fin strongly concave; transverse pit above tail base crescent shaped, a pit below tail base; tail fin strongly asymmetrical, notched under tip of top lobe, large lower lobe.

Grey brown on back and sides, lighter on under surfaces.

Reported to attain 150 cm; size at birth 30-35 cm.

A coastal species, demersal over soft bottoms.

Depth: 0-100 m?

Western Atlantic and eastern Pacific; the Gulf of California to Peru.