- Tagging Program
- Research
- Management
- Species Descriptions
- Atlantic Sharpnose Shark
- Basking Shark
- Bigeye Thresher
- Bignose Shark
- Blacknose Shark
- Blacktip Shark
- Blue Shark
- Bonnethead
- Bull Shark
- Dusky Shark
- Finetooth Shark
- Great Hammerhead
- Lemon Shark
- Longfin Mako
- Night Shark
- Nurse Shark
- Oceanic Whitetip Shark
- Porbeagle
- Sandbar Shark
- Sand Tiger
- Scalloped Hammerhead
- Shortfin Mako
- Silky Shark
- Smooth Dogfish
- Smooth Hammerhead
- Spinner Shark
- Spiny Dogfish
- Thresher Shark
- Tiger Shark
- Whale Shark
- White Shark
- Publications
- Other Links
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
 |
Text descriptions taken from Guide to Sharks, Tunas, & Billfishes of the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico |
Tiger shark length-weight relationship
|
www.nefsc.noaa.gov |
Search |
Link Disclaimer |
webMASTER |
Privacy Policy |
Survey |
(File Modified Sep. 13 2011)
|