The Tiger Shark

Galeocerdo cuvier

Tiger Shark teeth.

The Tiger Shark,  is one of the world's most dangerous sharks. Named for their stripes that fade as the animal gets older, the tiger shark is also known as the "garbage can of the sea". This name comes from the tiger shark's tendency to eat anything and everything that crosses their path. Just to name a few items found in tiger shark stomachs: a tom-tom, a chicken coop, license plates, drums, a goat, a suit of armour. In addition to garbage, tiger sharks eat dolphins, seals, seabirds, marine turtles, sea snakes, fish, sharks, rays, crabs, spiny lobsters, horseshoe crabs, octopus, squid, marine snails, and jellyfish. Their heavily serrated teeth have an indentation which makes the tooth look crooked. This unique tooth shape combined with a large bite force allows for the tiger shark to break the rock hard shell of marine turtles. Tiger Sharks are active at night and enter shallow reefs and lagoons after dusk to feed. The largest tiger shark ever recorded was 18 feet, but there have been some unconfirmed reports of tiger sharks longer than 30 feet! The females mature at 8 years, at 8 to 11.5 ft. Males mature at 7 years, at 7.5 to 10 ft. They are ovoviviparous (the females carry eggs that hatch in the womb, but are not attached by an umbilical cord to the mother) and their gestation period is 13-16 months. They can give birth to anywhere from 10 to 82 pups! However, as with all sharks, they do not care for their children.

note: I do not own any of these pictures.