The tiger shark is one of the world’s largest shark species. This animal can be found all over the world in warm, tropical, and subtropical waters. Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia have the largest populations of tiger sharks. Tiger sharks spend the majority of their time in deep water. When they are looking for food, they will come to shallow water. Tiger sharks, like many other shark species, are hunted for their meat, skin, and oil. Tiger shark liver is high in vitamin A, which is another reason why they are hunted. Tiger sharks are classified as threatened (they may become endangered in the near future).
Interesting facts about Tiger Sharks:
Tiger sharks are enormous creatures. They can grow to be 10 to 14 feet long and weigh 850 to 1400 pounds.
Tiger sharks get their name from the tiger-like, black stripes that cover the bodies of young animals. These stripes fade away with age, becoming almost invisible in adult animals.
The blunt nose and powerful jaw filled with serrated teeth distinguish the tiger shark.
Tiger sharks have a keen sense of smell, which they use to locate prey.
Another organ, known as the “ampullae of Lorenzini,” detects electrical impulses produced by moving prey and allows for hunting even when visibility in the water is poor.
Tiger sharks are known to be voracious carnivores (meat-eater). Dolphins, fish, turtles, dugongs, sea birds, stingrays, and sea snakes are common tiger shark prey.
Tiger sharks aren’t picky when it comes to food. The stomach contents of captured tiger sharks revealed some incredible items, including license plates, old tires, oil canes, cow’s hoofs…
Tiger sharks are known as “wastebaskets of the ocean” because they eat whatever they come across.
Tiger sharks are the second most dangerous shark species to humans. Unlike great white sharks (the most dangerous), tiger sharks frequently eat victim after victim. Fortunately, encounters between tiger sharks and humans are uncommon.
Tiger sharks are mostly solitary creatures. When large prey is available, they will congregate in larger groups during mating season or for collective feeding.
Tiger sharks are migratory in nature. When the temperature of the water drops, they travel thousands of miles to warmer waters.
Tiger sharks mate from March to May in the Northern Hemisphere. From November to January, those in the Southern Hemisphere mate.
Tiger sharks reach sexual maturity when they reach a length of 6.6 to 9.8 feet. Females mate every three years due to prolonged pregnancy.
Eggs develop inside the mother’s womb after internal fertilization (the male inserts sperm directly into the female’s body). Pregnancy lasts approximately 16 months and results in 20 to 90 baby tiger sharks.
Tiger sharks can live in the wild for up to 50 years.
