TIGER SHARKS: Information and pictures about the tiger shark Galiocerdo cuvier

Tiger Shark

View all available Tiger Shark Pictures in the Shark Pictures Database

Common Names: Tiger shark

Latin Name: Galeocerdo cuvier

Family: Carcharhinidae

Identification: The tiger shark has highly distinctive Tiger-like dark bands on a light body. Snout wide and bluntly rounded. Well defined caudal keel running from tail to trailing edge of first dorsal. Tail large.

Size: Maximum length 5.5m. At birth 51 to 76cm.

Habitat: Varied. Tigers can be found from clear inshore and offshore reefs to turbid estuarine environments. To around 70m depth.

Abundance and distribution: Circumtropical. Recorded in the Western Atlantic as far North as Massachusetts.

Behavior: Moves into shallow water to hunt at night. Cruises all water environments. Responsible for many attacks on Surfers in Hawaii. Has a highly eclectic diet. Stomach contents of tiger sharks have been shown to include all manner of inorganic objects. A voracious predator and scavenger. Known to congregate to feed on Albatrosses in Hawaii.

Reproduction: Ovoviviparous. Tiger shark mothers give no nourishment to embryos via a placental structure in the mothers uterus. Litter size 10 - 82. Gestation period 12 to 13 months.

Observations: In a baited situation medium sized tiger sharks were observed to hang back from the bait when comparibly sized Great hammerhead sharks were present and feeding. Read the trip report Hammers and Tigers in the Bahamas.

Photographs: Outer Bahamas.

Similar species:

Reaction to scuba divers: Where as small Tiger sharks will probably move away when encountering a diver, larger individuals are more likely to make close passes. The presence of speared fish or chum in the water could potentially initiate an attack and the extremely large size and varied diet of this shark warrants extreme caution even when no stimulus is present. It is wise to note that proportionately more Tiger shark attacks are fatal than great white shark attacks. This appears to represent the misidentification of swimmers for the White shark's natural prey and the tiger shark's real desire to devour the subject.

Diving logistics: Jim and Anna Abernethy run week long Hammerhead and Tiger shark diving trips to Tiger Beach in the Bahamas from Palm Beach, FL. Chum is used to attract the sharks with which they have had great success. Other sites on their shark safaris also attract many Caribbean reef sharks and participants should be aware that no cages are used. In my opinion the experience of diving with such large sharks without the restrictions of a cage is second to none.

Scott Smith's Dolphin Dream also runs liveaboard tiger shark diving trips to Tiger Beach during the winter months.

Other diving locations submitted by readers:

Further reading:

Paul Humann - Reef Fish Identification. Florida Caribbean Bahamas.

Reef Sharks and Rays of the World. Scott W. Michael. Sea Challengers.

Sharks and Rays - Elasmobranch Guide of the World. Ralf M. Hennemann. IKAN.

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