0:00:02 > 0:00:03My name's Steve Backshall.
0:00:03 > 0:00:06Self-confessed shark obsessed.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08This is Shark Bites.
0:00:10 > 0:00:15This time, we meet a shark with supersenses - the hammerhead.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19With its bizarrely shaped skull, it's truly distinctive,
0:00:19 > 0:00:23and its wide head hides a supercharged sense.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32Like all sharks, they have a sixth sense of finely tuned
0:00:32 > 0:00:34electroreceptors to detect their dinner.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41But being supercharged means hammerheads discover prey
0:00:41 > 0:00:45better than other sharks, even if it's hidden from sight.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51But how is it able to track down food with pinpoint accuracy?
0:00:51 > 0:00:55The warm waters in the Bahamas are the perfect place to see
0:00:55 > 0:00:57this supershark in action.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05And it wasn't long before one found us.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08This is one of the most awesome creatures in the sea!
0:01:08 > 0:01:11I don't believe it. It's a great hammerhead.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16You can instantly see how different it is.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20That hammer-shaped head is absolutely incredible.
0:01:20 > 0:01:25Their wide-set eyes give them almost 360 degrees of vision,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29helping them spot fast-moving prey like fish and squid.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33But it's their sensitive head that sets them apart from other sharks.
0:01:34 > 0:01:39That hammer-shaped head spreads out the electrical receptors...
0:01:41 > 0:01:48..so that the hammerhead can sense its prey from all different angles.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52When hunting some creatures, like rays hiding under the sand,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55they use this extra sense to their advantage.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02The hammerhead's remarkable head is kind of a bit like a metal detector.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07All living things give off an electrical field. I am now.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12The shark's head is covered in tiny electroreceptors which sense
0:02:12 > 0:02:17these electrical fields. They're called the ampullae of Lorenzini.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22A big great hammerhead's head could be a metre in width from eye to eye.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25This gives them more space for those ampullae compared to other
0:02:25 > 0:02:29species of sharks, making them much more accurate
0:02:29 > 0:02:31at scanning the seabed for food.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38Sweeping back and forth, they search for a signal
0:02:38 > 0:02:41and discover their bounty like a marine metal detector.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48The hammerhead shark, with its distinctive head,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50pinpoint accuracy,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53the ability to discover hidden prey.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57This is truly a shark packed full of supersenses.