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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
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 |
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(File Modified Sep. 13 2011)
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