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tiger shark

World-wide distribution in tropical and subtropical seas, with seasonal excursions into warm temperate areas.

Tropical and sub-tropical seas with seasonal excursions into warm temperate waters. Found world-wide. Occupies deeper water levels during the day, and moves closer inland at night.

Tigers vary in length from three to five meters. Color varies from bluish or greenish gray to black above and from light gray to dirty yellow or white bellow. Juveniles and specimens up to 1.5-1.8 m have a mottled appearance with their dorsal fins covered by dark spots on a light background. A race from the southeastern Caribbean has been described as shiny black above and a flawless white on the belly. The snout is short and bluntly rounded. Teeth are the same in both upper and lower jaws, deeply notched and very serrate.There is a dermal ridge on the midline of the back between dorsal fins; the first dorsal is larger than the second. The caudal peduncle also has a dermal ridge on both sides.

Tiger sharks are solitary and nomadic. They often travel up to fifty mile in a day, stopping only to feed. Tiger sharks can attain speeds greater than 20 miles an hour. Tigers tend to stay in deep waters on the fringes of reefs. Although they appear sluggish, tigers become very active and vicious when stimulated with food.

Omnivorous. One of the few species of shark that is a true scavenger. It consumes a wide range of marine prey including fish, crustaceans and cephalopods, as well as birds, mammals, reptiles, turtles, and sea snakes. It also has been known to consume indigestable objects. One Tiger was found with a 13.5 lb tom-tom drum in its stomach. Other strange items found in the stomachs of these massive creatures include beer bottles, bags of potatoes, coal, dogs, overcoats, a driver's license, a cow's hoof, the antlers of a deer, undigested lobsters, and a chicken coop with feathers and bones still inside. When a tiger shark's stomach becomes too full of indigestible junk, it regurgitates and gets rid of it all. Though the tiger has excellent eyesight, it relies mostly on its acute sense of smell, which enables it to detect the faintest traces of blood. Their electroreceptors are sensitive to low-frequency pressure waves produced by movements in the water, allowing these sharks to track prey in the absence of light. Once the prey is located, the tiger shark circles and nudges it before making the kill.

The tiger shark is second only to the great white in terms of ferocity. It is considered to be one of the most dangerous sharks due to its occurence in shallow water, large size, and indiscriminate eating habits. It is a confirmed human-eater; it doesn't hunt down humans, but it has attacked and eaten many due to its "liberal" eating habits.

Used in some parts of the world for its high-quality hide and for its fins, liver and flesh. Scientists are also looking at the benefits of cartilage for the treatment of illnesses (especially cancer). Tigers are also hooked regularly by sport fishermen.

The tiger shark has the least commercial value of any shark, thus it has no direct threats with the exception of moderate numbers taken by sports fishermen.