Description: Great Hammerhead Shark Jaw (Sphyrna mokarran) D.1275.4 This specimen in displayed in the case entitled 'Life' in the Manchester Museum's innovative 'Living Worlds' gallery. It has been in the museum's collection since the 19th century. 'Life' "I want to know why animals behave the way they do. WE can use Isaac Newton's laws of physics discovered 400 years ago to put a satellite around Jupiter, but we cannot be sure which way a fly will move. This is because living things are amazingly complicated. The Earth's Ecosystem has many millions of species and individuals, interacting in the most varied of ways. Because of this, it is difficult to be certain how animals and plants will respond to change. The solar system runs on a kind of 'space clockwork', but living things are weider than chemistry and physics." - Matthew Cobb (Professor of Zoology, University of Manchester) This exhibit symbolises consumption. All living things consume chemicals from the world around them - their food. Food gives living things energy to grow, move and reproduce. Different kinds of animal and plant feed on different things. Sharks' teeth are a triangular shape to help them catch their prey. Sharks replace their teeth during their life so they remain sharp. The Great Hammerhead Shark has a strangely shaped head. It is found in tropical seas around the world. The Living Worlds gallery's innovation lies in both its interactive nature (there is a free smartphone/tablet application that accompanies the gallery) and the visual and symbolic imact for the visitor. This case visually represents the natural interactions of life, with the displays deliberately overlapping one another. The reverse of this case displays a collection of South American Hummingbirds (Chrysolampis mosquitus) collected in the 19th century (Acc. World Museum Liverpool 1981.1212). This is a demonstration that all living things use energy. The display also includes reproduction Victorian glass hummingbirds that used to be used on Christmas trees. Date: 16 September 2012, 11:10. Source: Day 16 - Hammerhead Shark Jaw. Author: akhenatenator.