Did you know there are nine species of hammerhead sharks? I was unaware of this.

Anyway.

I came across this cool article today discussing the strange shape of these super cool sharks. And perhaps not surprisingly, the reason for their funky heads has to do with hunting prey.

Sharks have specialized sense organs that allow them hunt efficiently through the water. One group of these organs is called the “ampullae of Lorenzini.” It allows sharks to detect the electrical fields that are created by their prey.

This group of organs is spread out across the broad head of the hammerhead shark, making them super sensitive and super helpful in detecting their main prey: stingrays that lie along the ocean floor.

Their funky head shape also gives them amazing binocular ability and the ability to see both above and below themselves at all times.

Finally, and perhaps the coolest feature of the head, when they finally do come across a stingray, they hammer slam it to the ground as they kill it.

Sharks rule.