Scientific Name: Galeocerdo cuvier
Length: About 16 feet
Weight: Between 850 and 1,400 pounds
The Tiger Shark is another interesting shark. Also blamed for many attacks. I can't say I've seen a tiger submit to anyone like I have the Great White, however I don't doubt how docile this shark really is. Tigers got their name because of the print on their backs. They look like they have tiger stripes on their backs, just a couple shades darker grey than they're skin. Unlike the Great White Shark, the Tiger Shark's head is more of a wedge shape. Their teeth are stronger than those of a Great White as well. Tiger Sharks have a certain diet containing turtles, so their teeth are specially designed to cut through flesh and bone to get through the turtle shells. Even though they don't intentionally come after humans, they are known to be apex predators. This means they are known to eat virtually anything. On an episode of shark week, one of the men on there threw a license plate into the water to see if it would eat it (like on JAWS), and sure enough, it did. They're also known to try and take on some types of dolphins and occasionally and injured whale.
Tigers generally swim slowly which makes it harder for their prey to spot them. When the time is right, they go after their prey with a sudden burst of speed.
Despite how slowly the Tiger Sharks reproduce, they aren't as vulnerable to extinction as the Great White Sharks are. Tigers mate only once every three years. However, they have more pups than most sharks. Tigers typically have between 10 and 80 pups every litter.
Although shark attacks on humans aren't that often, Tigers have taken a lot of blame for more of the fatal ones. However, Bull Sharks are more commonly at fault.
Tiger sharks are captured more often than other sharks for not only their fins, but also their skins. The look of them is more captivating than that of most other sharks.
Anyway, this is my knowledge on the Tiger Sharks. Hope you enjoyed. :)
For more information, visit www.wikipedia.org
Image courtesy of www.sharkpictures.org
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