Origin
The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is part of the family Carcharhinidae, order Carcharhiniformes. It can be found in temperate, tropical and subtropical waters. It inhabits the waters of seas, bays, or estuaries in search of food.
It swims in the Gulf of Mexico, South America, Africa, China, Hong Kong, India, Australia and Indonesia.
It is more commonly known as the sea tiger because there is another species of shark called the sand shark. If our difference is obvious in English the two names are almost identical (shark tiger – sand Sark tiger).
The tiger shark was first described by Peron and Lessueur in 1822. They gave it the scientific name Squalus cuvier, but this was later changed to Galeocerdo tigrinus. Today the scientific name is Galeocerdo cuvier. It is the largest member of the family to which it belongs.
The number of tiger sharks population is decreasing due to fishing by humans. In some areas the shark population is in danger of extinction due to overfishing. In 2010 Greenpeace International added the tiger shark to the list of banned foods that should no longer be marketed.
Feeding The Tiger Shark
The tiger shark travels long distances in search of food both in deeper waters and in shallower waters such as those in coastal waters. It is a large, active fish that needs to consume a large amount of food. He's also greedy. It is considered a macropredator.
The tiger shark's food consists of fish, other species of sharks, calamari, seals, sea snakes, Dolphins, reptiles, marine mammals, invertebrate animals, cephalopods, turtles, crustaceans, etc.
Like other sharks it is a sanitary fish of the seas and oceans. It consumes Carrion, household debris or sick animals that it easily catches.
It has the largest menu of all shark species because it consumes the greatest diversity of food. All sorts of objects were found in his stomach and he has a reputation as a "garbage Eater".
Appearance Tiger Shark
The tiger shark is 5 metres long and weighs almost one tonne (1000kg). The female is larger than the male. The largest female caught was in Australia. It was 5.5 m and weighed 1524kg. The weight turned out to be so high because the female was pregnant. It is said that larger specimens have been seen, dr currently if they were not proven, they could not be confirmed.
The body is long and fusiform, the fish moves like a torpedo through the water propelled by powerful muscles.
It is brownish or brownish-gray in color on the back, on the dorsal side, and on the belly it is whitish. On the sides and back it shows dark stripes, like Tiger's.
These tiger-like stripes can be seen best in young specimens. As they get older these stripes can be seen less and less, and in some sharks they can disappear.
The head is large compared to the body. The muzzle ends with the mouth provided with triangular sharp teeth. The cod swimmer is perfectly adapted to propel the shark's large body through the water. The other swimmers in assist with movement and direction. The pectoral fins are larger in size while the ventral fins are smaller in size.
The tiger shark can reach the speed of 32km/h. the largest predator of the shark, perhaps the only one, is man.
Behavior Of The Tiger Shark
The tiger shark is considered among the most dangerous sharks. Probably because of the size. Many inhabitants of the Sea coast where the tiger shark swims are afraid of this sea fish.
He is classified as a vice-champion in attacks on humans because he walks through shallow waters where man walks. It meets people much more often than other shark species. If he didn't frequent shallow waters and meet man so often he wouldn't be considered so dangerous.
They travel the longest distances in the summer months when the water is warm. In the cold months it stays mostly in the equatorial zone. He prefers to hunt at night. It's a solitary fish. Until recently it was thought that the tiger shark descends to depths of 900 meters, but recent studies have confirmed that it does not exceed 350 meters deep.
In Hawaii it has been observed at depths of only 3 meters. It is usually observed in that area at depths of 6-12 meters.
Sharks generally move slowly through the water, and their habitat helps them camouflage themselves and make them harder to identify by prey. They are best camouflaged if they have a dark color behind. Once they have approached the prey they attack in the form of ambush and surprise their prey. It's amazing to see how a fish of almost a ton can be propelled into the water at such speed. Not to mention seeing him coming at you like a torpedo ..
Native Hawaiians believe the tiger shark is sacred. They say the fish's eyes have special powers.
Breeding The Tiger Shark
Tiger shark reproduction is different from other shark species. It has an ovoviparous reproduction. Sexual maturity is reached after males exceed 2.3 – 3 meters and females 2.6-3.5 meters in length.
Mating takes place once every three years. The male uses his teeth to hold the female during copulation. In the northern hemisphere mating takes place in March – May. Childbirth takes place the following year in April – June. The gestation period exceeds 12 months. Puppies grow in the mother's body until they are 16 months old when they are fully developed.
In the southern hemisphere the mating season takes place in November – January.
After the mating period, the female retains the eggs in the oviduct and the embryos develop inside it. It can also secrete uterine milk as a feeding supplement for embryos. Can give birth to 20-80 Cubs.
Life expectancy is not known exactly, but it is assumed that the tiger shark lives 30-40 years.
