The hammerhead shark is not an ordinary shark. The main difference of this shark with other sharks is its head structure which is flattened and laterally extended into a “hammer” shape called a “cephalofoil”. However, lately a team of researchers from the University of South Carolina has discovered a new hammerhead shark called Carolina hammerhead (Sphyrna gilbert) near South Carolina coast.
According to researchers, the Carolina hammerhead looks virtually identical to the scalloped hammerhead, but is genetically distinct, and contains about 10 fewer vertebrae, or segments of backbone.
The new species is named the Carolina hammerhead because it gives birth to shark “pups” in estuaries near the shore off the Carolinas. Here’s a video of the new species.
Researchers have mentioned, “South Carolina is a well-known pupping ground for several species of sharks, including the hammerhead. The female hammerhead will birth her young at the ocean-side fringes of the estuary; the pups remain there for a year or so, growing, before moving out to the ocean to complete their life cycle.”
Source: Fox News
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