The Bonnethead Shark

  The bonnethead shark is a subspecies from the hammerhead shark family. It is most commonly found around the Florida Quays, the Gulf of Mexico, New England, Southern California and Ecuador.
  The bonnethead is a popular shark amongst anglers. The reason for this is that they breed quickly and are not likely to become endangered or protected and so to stop their abhorrent sport. Not only this, but they are small and easier to catch than their larger hammerhead compatriots.
  In only one way is the bonnethead shark problematic for anglers. When caught by the tail, as they often are, the bonnethead will use its extreme flexibility to swing round and try to bite the angler who so rudely reeled it in.
  Growing up to 1.50 metres long, the bonnethead is ideal prey for large seabirds, which can sometimes be seen snatching up one of these helpless sharks from the water. However, their diminutive size is beneficial when their turn comes to hunt. With help from the electroreception provided by the denticles on its cephalofoil, which help it sense it's prey, the bonnethead is perfectly equipped to hunt the crustaceans, molluscs, shrimps and small fish which share its habitat. It can pick up the movement of a crab or other small creature and then, even if it is tucked away in a cramp cave which would have been the end of a possible meal for its fellow hammerheads, the bonnethead will remain unperturbed and will use its size to its advantage: sticking its rather smaller head into the cavern and emerging with a meal.
  Although timid and not dangerous to humans, bonnethead sharks have been known to bite anglers when reeled onto a boat. Bonnetheads are often seen in aquariums, where their cephalofoil can represent the most famous feature of all sharks from the hammerhead family to enthralled onlookers, from a safe distance.

A bonnethead shark in an aquarium. Note the shape of the
cephalofoil.