Description:
The bonnethead shark is a smaller relative of the hammerhead sharks, and grows to approximately 5 feet in length.  The head is expanded as in other hammerheads, but less broadly, with the frontal margin of the head rounded and shovel-like in appearance, with no medial indentation.  Eyes are placed laterally on the lobes of the head.  Body color is typically gray to gray-brown dorsally, with the ventral surface being paler. The base of the anal fin is longer than that of the second dorsal fin.  Bonnethead sharks are considered harmless to people. 

Habitat:
Bonnethead sharks prefer shallow, inshore waters, bays and estuaries.  They are common in sandy, soft bottom areas, and are often caught by recreational fishers at estuary mouths.

Similar Species:
Bonnethead sharks resemble other hammerhead species in that the head is expanded into lobes.  However, this species is smaller than either the great hammerhead, Sphyrna mokorran, or the scalloped hammerhead, S. lewini.  Additionally, head shape is significantly different in the bonnethead, with the frontal margin of the head being much more concave and rounded than in either of the others. 

Range:
Bonnethead sharks range from southern New England south to Argentina, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamas.  They are also found in the Pacific from southern California to Peru.