Kidney-Headed Sharks
Kidney-headed sharks Sphyrna lewini are also known as Scalloped Hammerheads. The front of the head of this shark is flattened, scalloped and wide, forming a structure called a cephalofoil. This oddly shaped head helps the shark swim, making the shark more hydrodynamic. The eyes are at the tip and slightly below the head. The head is also dense with sensory receptors. Kidney-headed sharks grow to be about 10-13 ft (3-4 m) long. They swim in warm temperate and tropical waters. They eat bony fish, and cephalopods. Pups are born live in litters of 15-30; they are 17-22 inches (43-55 cm) long at birth. Classification: Order Carcharhiniformes.

Knopp's Shark
The bignose shark (Carcharhinus altimus) is also known as Knopp's shark. This bottom dweller is found in warm-temperate and tropical seas. It is up to about 10 ft (3 m) long. The skin is ash-colored, but is lighter on the belly; the fins have dark tips. Bony fish is the mainstay of the diet (mackerel is a favorite). The bignose is viviparous; litters contain from 3 to 11 pups. Newborns are 27 to 35 inches (70-90 cm) long. It was named by Springer in 1950.



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