The Type of Teeth of the Hammerhead Shark

Cuspidate Teeth

• Hammerhead sharks have primarily cuspidate, or sharp, triangular teeth, which grow in multiple rows on the upper and lower jaws. The hammerhead uses these teeth to hold its prey and to slice through the flesh of bony fish, skates, stingrays, squid, octopuses and even other hammerhead sharks. Although these sharks have small mouths in proportion to their size, the great hammerhead still boasts more than five dozen razor cuspids.

Molariform Teeth

• Only one species, the bonnethead shark, has molariform teeth. These teeth are present in the back of the jaw and supplement the cupids that take up the majority of the front. Unlike the sharp, spear-like teeth normally associated with sharks, these molariform teeth are smooth and rounded, allowing the shark to grind its food. These teeth are invaluable to the bonnethead shark, which feeds primarily on hard-shelled crabs, whose exoskeletons must first be crushed before the shark can eat the soft inner meat.

Serrated Teeth

• Serrated teeth have numerous sharp protrusions, like those of a steak knife, which easily cut through flesh. The scalloped and great hammerheads are two species with such teeth, each possessing numerous rows of these sharp slicing instruments. Only cuspidate teeth are serrated, and hammerhead teeth only bear fine serrations, with numerous short protrusions instead of deep, jagged ones.

Smooth Teeth

• Some species have smooth instead of serrated teeth. Among these are the winghead shark and the smooth hammerhead. Their teeth have the same basic shape as those of all hammerheads, but lack the series of razor-like protrusions along their sides. The bonnethead shark's molariform teeth are also smooth, providing an ideal grinding surface.