Tiger shark

The Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is one of the largest sharks, and is common in the mid-Pacific region. The Tiger Shark hunts alone and gets its name from the dark stripes across its back, which fade as the shark grows older. It is a deadly predator known for eating a wide, and legendary, variety of things. The Tiger Shark is the species known for being found with license plates or pieces of old tires in its digestive tract.

It has a very large mouth, with powerful jaws. Its teeth are flat, triangular, notched and serrated and can slice right through many things.

When a tiger shark loses one of its teeth, it will grow another one to replace the lost or broken tooth. Its head is somewhat wedge-shaped which makes it easy for the shark to turn quickly to one side. It can weigh up to 1 ton (2,200 pounds), on average, and is usually 3 to 5 meters long (10 to 16 feet), but can grow up to 7 meters long (23 feet). It has a long upper tail lobe that helps to provide lift and its sudden bursts of speed.

References

• "Galeocerdo cuvier". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. March 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005.
• MarineBio: Tiger shark, Galeocerdo cuvier