Pregnant hammerhead shark with 40 calves stranded

America A hammerhead shark over 4 meters long washed ashore with 40 fully formed babies in its stomach, but researchers do not yet know the cause of its death.

The body of the mother hammerhead shark was transported away by authorities. Photo: MEF

Authorities are still unsure of the cause of death of the mother shark. The female hammerhead shark ( Sphyrna mokarran ) was discovered on April 20 in shallow water near Orange Beach. A group of passersby pulled the motionless shark onto the beach and contacted the city’s coastal resources team, which collected the body.

Since the hammerhead shark was still intact, authorities contacted researchers from the University of Mississippi’s Marine Fisheries Ecology (MFE) program. The team performed a necropsy the next day. They discovered that the hammerhead shark’s stomach contained 40 baby sharks, each about 1 foot long. The mother and her babies likely died before becoming stranded.

Hammerhead sharks are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. There are no clear estimates of how many individuals remain globally, but researchers believe their numbers are declining year after year.

Baby hammerhead sharks die before birth. Photo: MEF

During the necropsy, the team collected and examined the major internal organs, including the heart, liver, esophagus, stomach, spleen, kidneys, and pancreas, but found no signs of injury or disease in any of them, according to MFE representatives. They also sent samples from the animal's spine, muscle tissue, and fins for further analysis in the lab. The shark's stomach was empty. Female hammerhead sharks typically go several months without eating during pregnancy, so that was to be expected.

Although the cause of the shark’s death is not yet known, the MFE team suspects it may be related to fishing. Hammerheads are particularly susceptible to the physiological effects of capture stress, more so than most other shark species. Pregnancy may add to the stress. The young sharks will be preserved and donated to local schools to teach about shark reproduction.

An Khang (According to Live Science )

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