Skip to main content

Tiger Shark

Another year, another Shark Week. And as the yearly television festival of all things Shark draws to a close, we'll learn about one more of these awesome predators right here.

Galeocerdo cuvier
Tiger Sharks are one of the largest shark species, and can attain lengths of well over 10ft. They are found in tropical and subtropical oceans all around the world, but are not commonly seen.

The name given to these sharks derives from the banding pattern on their bodies. The coloring is more visible in juveniles, and fades as the sharks grow older.

Tiger Sharks are notorious scavengers and are incredibly opportunistic with their feeding. This has led them to be responsible for more attacks on humans than any shark but the Great White. Tiger Sharks are also not at all picky about what they eat (unlike the Great White), which makes them less likely to let go of their human victims and swim away.

New research also shows that Tiger Sharks take part in a practice called "Yo-Yo Diving." For a while scientists believed that this movement up and down water columns was to conserve energy, but new evidence is pointing to a different motivation: better foraging for food.
IUCN Status : Near Threatened
Location : Tropical and Subtropical Oceans Worldwide
Size : Body Length around 14ft (4.3m)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Chondrichthyes -- Order : Carcharhiniformes
Family : Carcharhinidae -- Genus : Galeocerdo -- Species : G. cuvier
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a...
59 comments
Read more

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!
18 comments
Read more

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km)  from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status :  Not Listed ...
Post a Comment
Read more