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TIGER SHARK
Galeocerdo cuvier
SIZE
To about 18 ft (5.5 m).DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
- Dorsal surfaces of juveniles covered with dark blotches on bluish- or greenish-gray to black background; blotches fuse to form tigerlike vertical bars or stripes as shark grows; coloration fades to gray and stripes become less distinct in adults
- Snout blunt and wide, much shorter than width of mouth; long labial furrows around corners of mouth reaching eyes
- Teeth serrated with deep notch on outer margins, similar in both jaws
- Interdorsal ridge low
DISTRIBUTION
Cape Cod, MA, to Uruguay, including Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.
HABITAT
Coastal waters close inshore to outer continental shelf; offshore including oceanic island groups.
SIMILAR SPECIES
Characteristic teeth and markings of tiger shark distinguish this species from other Atlantic sharks.
MORE INFORMATION
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Text descriptions taken from Guide to Sharks, Tunas, & Billfishes of the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico |
Tiger shark length-weight relationship
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(File Modified Sep. 13 2011)
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