How I love the diversity of creatures on this earth, and here is one that is in the running for most bizarre design: the Scalloped Hammerhead, Sphyrna lewini. If the hammer wasn't enough, they have the scalloping on the front edge to make it extra special. The other species of hammerhead in Hawaiian waters is the Smooth Hammerhead, but this one is more common. The adults live off-shore, coming into the shallow bays, including Kane'ohe, Hilo, and Waimea bays, to pup and breed, usually in the late spring and early summer. It would seem that the turbid and protected waters of the bays help to keep the pups safer from predation. They are born live after a nine month gestation, and may have anywhere from fifteen to thirty siblings. The pups' hammers are soft so birthing is easier, then become less flexible over time. After hanging out in the "nurseries" for three or four months, the pups eventually leave and join the adults in deeper waters. Some estimates have anywhere from 8000 to 10,000 pups passing through Kanehoe Bay in a year.
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October 2014
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