Bonnethead shark is the smallest kind of hammerhead shark. Most sharks are carnivorous (meat eating), but bonnetheads are omnivorous. Omnivorous animals eat both animals and plants.
Bonnetheads are gray, tan, or greenish with small, dark speckles. They have a wide, flattened head that is shaped like a shovel. Like other hammerhead species, bonnetheads have eyes that are spaced far apart, at opposite ends of the head. But the bonnethead’s head is more rounded than that of other hammerheads. Adult bonnetheads can grow up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) long. Most are between 3 and 4 feet (1 and 1.2 meters).
Bonnetheads eat crabs, shrimp, octopuses, small fish, and an underwater plant called sea grass. Sea grass can make up a large proportion of their diet, especially when they are young. Most sharks cannot digest plant material. Scientists are studying bonnetheads to find out how they are able to digest sea grass.
Females give birth to an average of 6 to 9 live young, called pups. The pups are 8 to 16 inches (20 to 40 centimeters) long when they are born. Pups mature in three years.
Bonnetheads are found in warm, shallow oceans around North and South America. They are often observed in sea grass meadows and coral reefs. Large numbers of bonnetheads live in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Bonnetheads also live in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The bonnethead shark is considered endangered (at risk of becoming extinct). Overfishing has reduced the bonnethead population. Fishing crews catch large numbers of bonnetheads, often by accident.
