Smooth Hammerhead

(Sphyrna zygaena)

Smooth hammerheads are quite similar in size and characteristics as the scalloped, and they used to be caught less frequently than the scalloped, but since the scalloped has become so scarce their roles have been reversed along much of the East Coast.

With a dark olive/gray color, in or out of the water this shark appears darker than the scalloped. The dorsal fin of the smooth is similar in shape to that of the scalloped but the center of the leading edge of the head is smooth, not indented as it is in the other hammerheads.