Tiger Shark

The tiger shark is one of the largest predatory sharks, belonging to the family Carcharhinidae (requiem sharks). It is easily recognized by the dark, tiger-like stripes and spots that mark its body, most vivid in young sharks and fading with age. Tiger sharks are found in tropical and warm-temperate seas around the world, favoring coastal and offshore waters. They are known for consuming an unusually broad range of prey, from fish and sea turtles to crustaceans and carrion, earning a reputation as one of the ocean's most opportunistic large predators. The species is currently listed as Near Threatened, with populations declining in parts of its range due to bycatch and targeted fishing pressure. Despite its size, the tiger shark plays an important ecological role as an apex predator maintaining balance in coastal and reef ecosystems.

Key features for identifying a tiger shark:

• Blunt, wide snout and large mouth with distinctive serrated, cockscomb-shaped teeth
• Dark vertical bars and blotches along the upper flanks, most visible on juveniles and sub-adults
• Long, keeled caudal peduncle and a large, asymmetrical tail fin
• Grey to bronze-grey dorsal coloration fading to a pale cream or white underside
• Adults typically reach 3-5 m in length, with a heavy, cylindrical body

Tiger sharks can be distinguished from similar large requiem sharks (such as bull or dusky sharks) by their striped pattern, broader head, and larger interdorsal ridge.

Tiger sharks inhabit tropical and warm-temperate marine waters throughout the world's oceans, typically between about 30°N and 30°S latitude. They range from shallow coastal lagoons, harbors, and reef edges to open offshore waters, and have been recorded at depths exceeding 300 m, though they most commonly patrol nearshore zones less than 100 m deep. The species tolerates a wide range of salinities and water clarities, and is often found near river mouths, atolls, and continental shelves where prey is abundant. Tiger sharks undertake long seasonal migrations, moving toward higher latitudes in summer and returning to warmer tropical waters in winter, with some individuals tracked crossing entire ocean basins.

Tiger sharks are largely solitary, nocturnal hunters that roam widely across their range, often covering vast distances during seasonal migrations. They are opportunistic, generalist feeders with one of the most varied diets of any shark, consuming bony fish, rays, sea turtles, seabirds, crustaceans, mollusks, and carrion, and are notorious for ingesting non-food debris. Tiger sharks are ovoviviparous, giving birth to live litters that can exceed 30-50 pups after an extended gestation period. They show little social structure beyond occasional aggregations at abundant food sources, such as turtle nesting beaches or whale carcasses. As apex predators, they play a key ecological role in regulating prey populations, including keeping sea turtle and dugong grazing patterns in check within seagrass ecosystems.