A hammerhead shark
An unusual species of shark -- at least for Cape Cod -- was spotted earlier this month in Massachusetts waters.
The Atlantic White Shark conservancy shared photos of the shark in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, last week indicating that the animal was seen near Monomoy Island, which is off the coast of Chatham.
"Wow! What an incredible (and rare) smooth hammerhead sighting off Monomoy Island on Saturday, July 20th!," the agency said. "Thank you, L. Bovenzi for sharing with us! We may be a white shark organization but we will always appreciate a special shark sighting :)"
Hammerhead shark sightings are less common than great white shark sightings off Cape Cod, but this isn't the first time they've been spotted here. According to The Boston Globe, a hammerhead was sighted at a Nantucket beach back in 2022.
Hammerhead sharks are actually a group of 10 different sharks known for the unusual and distinctive form of their heads. They range in size from about 3-20 feet and can weigh up to 1,500 lbs.
