Agitated hammerhead shark makes a lunge to catch dinner

The Galapagos Islands are home to many wonderful and amazing creatures, both above and beneath the waves. One of the more impressive sights here is the large schooling hammerheads. Resting one hemisphere of their brain at a time, they are able to swim and avoid collisions with other animals while they sleep. They are also able to pursue prey, if they choose. The fish seem to know that the hammerheads are not often interested in feeding during the day and they swim among the sharks without much concern. They also seem to know that they are more agile than the sharks and they can usually evade capture if they see the sharks coming in time.

An agitated hammerhead shark makes a sudden attempt to catch a meal in this video. Scuba divers have wedged themselves into the rocks at the edge of Darwin Island and they have a spectacular view of the sharks swimming past and around them. The sharks are unconcerned with the divers, and although it is disconcerting to see a shark suddenly turn on the feeding response, the divers are in no danger.

Scuba divers and nature enthusiasts come from all over the world to witness the spectacle of the wall of hammerheads and the whale sharks that cruise through the waters around Darwin and Wolf Islands.