Tiger Shark
⚡ Key Facts & Quick Answers (AEO Summary)
- Taxonomic Class: Fish & Marine Life
- Dietary Niche: Carnivore (Fish, sea turtles, seals, dolphins, birds, garbage)
- Max Speed: 32 km/h (20 mph)
- Adult Weight: 380 - 640 kg (830 - 1,400 lbs)
- Typical Lifespan: 30 - 40 years
- Primary Habitat: Coastal tropical and subtropical waters, open ocean, deep channels
- Native Region: Global Temperate and Tropical Oceans
- IUCN Red List: Near Threatened
📊 Physical & Biological Metrics
🧬 Scientific Taxonomy & Biological Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Chondrichthyes |
| Order | Carcharhiniformes |
| Family | Carcharhinidae |
| Genus | Galeocerdo |
| Species Binomial | Galeocerdo cuvier |
📖 1. Species Overview
The Tiger Shark is a large, formidable apex predator of tropical seas. Known as the 'garbage can of the sea' due to their non-selective diet, they possess dark stripes along their body that fade as they mature.
🦿 2. Physical Appearance, Anatomy & Adaptations
Stocky body with dark vertical stripes, a blunt square snout, and uniquely serrated, cockscomb-shaped teeth designed to saw through turtle shells.
🗺️ 3. Habitat, Geographic Distribution & Territorial Range
Solitary nocturnal hunters. They migrate thousands of miles to follow warm water currents and nesting sea birds.
🥩 4. Diet, Feeding Strategy & Hunting Tactics
Use acute smell, sight, and electro-receptive Lorenzini organs to track prey, biting with immense force and sawing through bone.
🐣 5. Reproduction, Lifecycle & Social Hierarchy
Ovoviviparous. Litters of 10-80 pups are born after a 15-month pregnancy, independent from birth.
🛡️ 6. Conservation Status, Population Threats & Protection
Near Threatened. Populations are declining due to commercial shark finning, sport fishing, and marine pollution.
💡 Fascinating Facts & Trivia
- Tiger sharks have the most diverse diet of any shark, and items like license plates, tires, and armor have been found inside their stomachs.
- Their cockscomb teeth are so strong and sharp that they can easily cut through the thick bone shell of an adult sea turtle.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Direct authoritative answers regarding the biology, feeding habits, and habitat of the Tiger Shark.
The Tiger Shark is scientifically classified as Galeocerdo cuvier. It belongs to the genus Galeocerdo within the family Carcharhinidae, class Chondrichthyes, and phylum Chordata.
In the wild, Tiger Sharks inhabit Coastal tropical and subtropical waters, open ocean, deep channels. Their native geographic range primarily spans Global Temperate and Tropical Oceans.
The Tiger Shark is classified as a Carnivore. It feeds primarily on specialized nutrients suited to its ecological niche in Coastal tropical and subtropical waters, open ocean, deep channels.
A Tiger Shark can achieve top speeds of 32 km/h (20 mph) and weighs approximately 380 - 640 kg (830 - 1,400 lbs). Its expected natural lifespan is 30 - 40 years.
The Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is currently designated as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Cite this Article
FaunaWiki Zoological Database (2026). "Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) Species Profile."
🐾 Related Species & Co-inhabitants
Mammals
Blue Whale
EndangeredThe blue whale is the largest known animal to have ever lived on Earth, even bigger than the largest dinosaurs. Despite their massive size, these gentle giants feed almost exclusively on krill—tiny shrimp-like creatures. A single adult blue whale can consume up to 4 tons of krill per day. They are baleen whales, meaning they filter ocean water through fringed plates in their mouths. Blue whales are also among the loudest animals, communicating via low-frequency groans and pulses that can travel hundreds of miles underwater.
Reptiles (Reptilia)
Green Sea Turtle
EndangeredThe green sea turtle is one of the largest sea turtles and the only herbivorous species among them. They are named not for the color of their shells, but for the greenish color of their subdermal fat, which is stained by their diet of seagrasses and algae. Green sea turtles migrate incredibly long distances between feeding grounds and the nesting beaches where they were born. Their streamlined shells and paddle-like flippers make them exceptionally graceful swimmers.
Fish & Marine Life
Great White Shark
VulnerableThe great white shark is the world's largest known predatory fish and an apex predator of the oceans. It has a powerful, torpedo-shaped body, dark gray back, and clean white underbelly, providing excellent camouflage known as countershading. Armed with up to 300 serrated, triangular teeth arranged in multiple rows, it is a formidable hunter. Great whites possess a highly developed sense of smell and special receptors called the Ampullae of Lorenzini that detect the weak electromagnetic fields generated by living creatures.