- General Information: This shark has tiger like markings (hence the name) against a dark grey back and an off-white underbelly. Pups are not born striped, but spotted instead. these spots then fade into stripes as the young sharks mature. It is responsible for some attacks on people, and is therefore greatly feared.
- Size: Tiger sharks average 10 feet long, with some growing as long as 20 feet.
- Teeth: Tiger Sharks have triangular shaped teeth, which are serrated (saw-edged) and extremely sharp. These teeth are located in several rows inside the bull sharks jaw. The first two rows of teeth are used in obtaining prey, while the other rows are kept in reserve to rotate in as needed to replace lost or broken teeth.
- Color: Stripes on a dark grey body, with an off-white underbelly.
- Feeding Habits: A tiger shark will eat just about anything that it can catch alive including mammals, sea birds and other sharks.
- Senses: Tiger sharks have good eyesight, aided by a special gill slit (a spiracle) right behind the eye, which provides oxygen flow directly to the eyes and brain. It has electroreceptors sensitive to electric currents in the water, and a very good sense of smell.
- Social Behavior: Tiger sharks are solitary except during mating.
- Habitat | Migration | Distribution: Tiger sharks are found in tropical waters worldwide, and in some temperate seas as well. They can be found from the surface down to as far as 1,200 feet below, and inhabit both shoreline and open waters, ranging as far as 500 miles.
- Life Span: The lifespan of the Tiger Shark is uncertain, but approximately 30-40 years
- Reproduction: Tiger SHarks reproduce viviparously, which means that like mammals, the give birth to live young that have been nourished by a placenta. Litters can be made up of anywhere from 10 to 82 pups, and gestation is about 9 months long. At birth, pups are 20-30 inches long and are completely independant.
- Swimming: Tiger sharks have an average speed of 2.4mph. they can swim in fast bursts, but the speed can only be maintained for a few seconds.
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