While researching hammerhead sharks for recent stories, I noticed that the apex predators inhabit the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of America.
It’s the same waterbody, of course. But the name used, since U.S. President Donald Trump directed the federal government to use the "America" version in January 2025, depended on the source.
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My research was specific to Florida, so I conducted website searches involving NOAA Fisheries, the Florida Museum of Natural History, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
NOAA Fisheries clearly received the government memo. In reference to the geographical range of scalloped hammerhead sharks, the agency states:
"In the western
Atlantic Ocean, the scalloped hammerhead range extends from the northeast coast of the United States (from New Jersey to Florida) to Brazil, including the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico) and the Caribbean Sea."
The Florida Museum of Natural History still uses the historic name, which first appeared on a world map in 1550. In reference to great hammerhead sharks, the museum states:
"In the western Atlantic Ocean, it ranges from North Carolina south to Uruguay, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean regions."
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, meanwhile, presents a more neutral reference pertaining to great hammerhead sharks:
"A common tropical and subtropical shark that inhabits the open ocean and the shallow coastal waters of both the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida."
These observations resurfaced in my mind Thursday, after President Trump issued an executive order to change the name of Lake Ontario to "Lake America," amid an escalating trade war with Canada.
This name-changing effort, involving a part of the Great Lakes region that borders the Canadian province of Ontario and New York, is equally controversial and a trending topic.
For those wondering, sharks do not inhabit Lake Ontario or any of the Great Lakes.
According to the Shedd Aquarium, the "toothiest fish" in Lake Ontario are spotted and longnose gars.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Do hammerhead sharks inhabit the Gulf of Mexico or Gulf of America?
