Malpelo Hammerhead Sharks: Migrating or Staying Put?
A school of scalloped hammerheads circling an island looks like a scene from a nature film. The science behind Malpelo’s sharks is less like a permanent parade, and more like a network of places that different sharks use over time.
So, do Malpelo’s hammerheads stay or go? Both. Researchers have tagged scalloped hammerheads at Malpelo and followed how they move, both across the ocean and up and down in the water. One study tagged 69 sharks around the island over several years. It found sharks that stayed close to the island, and sharks that travelled to other islands in the Eastern Tropical Pacific.
Separate research has looked at the links between oceanic islands, including Malpelo, Cocos and the Galápagos region.
What does “resident” mean for a shark?
It does not mean the shark never leaves. In tracking studies, residency usually means an animal was detected at a place for a meaningful share of the time researchers were watching. A shark can use one island regularly and still travel somewhere else.
That is why the word “migration” needs care. A tracking record may show long-distance travel or seasonal shifts. But it does not create a neat timetable for every shark. And it certainly does not promise that a visitor will see a particular species on a particular day.
Why do island connections matter?
Scalloped hammerheads are travellers. Their movements cross the borders drawn on protected-area maps. Research into the links between oceanic islands helps conservationists see where protection may need countries to work together, across huge stretches of open ocean.
The real appeal of Malpelo
The interesting story is not “go here and the sharks will be waiting.” It is that this remote island belongs to a much bigger Eastern Tropical Pacific system. The animals there move up and down through the water column and travel between islands.
If you love sharks, that is plenty to be curious about. The best wildlife travel starts with a question, not a guarantee.
Malpelo is a destination for experienced divers only. Wildlife encounters are unpredictable. Diving with scalloped hammerheads should always follow local regulations and experienced professional guidance. For more background, see our Colombia Pacific overview in the Ocean Atlas.
Questions people ask
Do hammerheads at Malpelo migrate?
Tracking research shows both sharks that stay near the island and sharks that travel to other islands in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. The word “migration” needs care, because tracking records do not give a neat timetable for every shark.
What does “resident” mean for a shark?
Usually it means an animal was detected at a place for a meaningful share of the time researchers were watching. It does not mean the shark never leaves.
How many sharks were tagged in the study?
One study tagged 69 scalloped hammerheads around Malpelo over several years.
Will I see hammerheads at Malpelo?
Nobody can promise that. Tracking research does not guarantee that a visitor will see a particular species on a particular day.
Wildlife encounters are never guaranteed and never forced. Ocean Calling works only with vetted, ethical local operators, and every animal is free to approach, or not, entirely on its own terms.
Sources & further reading
- Hearn et al., residency and migration of scalloped hammerheads at Malpelo
- Hearn et al., PLOS ONE: movements between oceanic islands in the Eastern Tropical Pacific
Further reading on Ocean Calling: Scalloped hammerhead in the Ocean Atlas · Colombia in the Ocean Atlas · Costa Rica in the Ocean Atlas · Ecuador in the Ocean Atlas
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