Explore by Animal The bonnethead shark’s head protrudes forward
like a wide, rounded shovel. To add to the oddness, its eyes are
perched on the far sides of its head for an expanded field of
vision. Imagine if our eyes looked out above our ears. Now that
would change our perspective on life! The smallest of the
hammerheads, bonnetheads (Sphyrna tiburo) rarely exceed 4½ feet
in length and are considered harmless. Found on both coasts of
the Americas, they favor toasty coastal waters above 70 degrees,
migrating to the equator in winter months and toward higher
latitudes during the summer. They usually congregate in gender-
specific schools of five to 15 members. Bonnetheads sway their
heads from side to side, scanning the bottom with their fine-
tuned sensory and nervous systems to help them fill their
proverbial plates. Their eyes perceive shadows and light, their
smell is as keen as a hound’s, and they can detect flickers of
vibration from hundreds of feet away. Once the pups are born,
adult females lose their