CHATHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - A smooth hammerhead shark was spotted off Cape Cod earlier this month, according to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.
The conservancy recently shared photos of the shark swimming just below the surface of the water off Monomoy Island on July 20.
“We may be a white shark organization but we will always appreciate a special shark sighting,” the conservancy said in its post on X.
“People are so focused on the white sharks they don’t realize how many other species of sharks we have in Massachusetts,” marine biologist John Chisholm later told 7NEWS.
Chisholm said smooth hammerhead sightings are already not as rare as some people may think. With warming oceans, he said sightings are also becoming more frequent off Cape Cod.
Beyond smooth hammerheads, Chisholm said climate change is bringing several other species to the area.
In addition to the Monomoy sighting, Chisholm said fishermen recently reported seeing a school of hammerheads off Martha’s Vineyard.
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