Tiger shark


Tiger shark
Temporal range: Early Miocene – present[1]
Tiger shark.jpg
Tiger shark size.svg
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Carcharhiniformes
Family: Carcharhinidae
Genus: Galeocerdo
Species:
G. cuvier
Binomial name
Galeocerdo cuvier
Péron & Lesueur, 1822
Cypron-Range Galeocerdo cuvier.svg
Tiger shark range
Synonyms

The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)[3] is the last extant member of the family Galeocerdonidae. It is a large macropredator, with females being capable of attaining a length of over 5 m (16 ft 5 in).[4] Populations are found in many tropical and temperate waters, especially around central Pacific islands. Its name derives from the dark stripes down its body, which resemble a tiger's pattern, but fade as the shark matures.[5]

The tiger shark is a solitary, mostly nocturnal hunter. It is notable for having the widest food spectrum of all sharks, with a range of prey that includes crustaceans, fish, seals, birds, squid, turtles, sea snakes, dolphins, and even other, smaller sharks. It also has a reputation as a "garbage eater",[5] consuming a variety of inedible, man-made objects that linger in its stomach. Though usually considered apex predators, tiger sharks are sometimes taken as prey by groups of killer whales.[6] It is considered a near threatened species because of finning and fishing by humans.[2]

The tiger shark is second only to the great white in recorded fatal attacks on humans, but these events are still exceedingly rare.[7][8]

  1. ^ "Fossilworks: Galeocerdo cuvieri". fossilworks.org. Archived from the original on 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
  2. ^ a b Ferreira, L.C.; Simpfendorfer, C. (2019). "Galeocerdo cuvier". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T39378A2913541. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T39378A2913541.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. ^ "ITIS Report – Galeocerdo cuvier". Integrated Taxonomic Information System!. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference FroesePauly was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference SharkInfo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Orcas Vs Shark: Killer Whales Take Down Tiger Shark". Archived from the original on 2021-04-28. Retrieved 2020-08-14 – via www.youtube.com.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference flmnh was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Yearly Worldwide Shark Attack Summary". floridamuseum.ufl.edu. Archived from the original on 2021-06-11. Retrieved 2021-06-11.

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