Tiger shark: a formidable sea predator (12 photos)

There are about 450 species of sharks around the world. They all vary in size and behavior. In this post you will learn some facts about the tiger shark.





Sharks are the seals of the seas. They are as smart, cunning and graceful as terrestrial furry predators. Take, for example, the tiger shark. It was called “tiger” because of its color. But the fish has much more in common with baleen fish than just stripes.



Let's look at the area. And what will we see? Complete occupation of the equatorial zone! Both tigers and sharks live where it is always warm. But if cats reign on the territory of one continent, then the dominance of the tiger shark has spread to the world’s waters. The tiger shark swims wherever there are warm currents.





The similarities in appearance are so obvious that they are reflected in the name. The tiger shark is decorated with a camouflage pattern of light and dark stripes of gray-green tones. But the dimensions of the fish will be more impressive than those of cats: the length of adult individuals is up to 5 meters, weight – up to 700 kg. In terms of size among its predatory relatives, the tiger shark is second only to the great white.



But don't be fooled by the body's powerful constitution. The waterfowl tiger is also an athlete. The fish easily reaches speeds of up to 32 km/h. True, the shark uses its physical abilities only in cases of extreme necessity.

The predator does not chase prey throughout the ocean. She, like tigers, attacks from ambush. But how can you hide a five-meter carcass in the open ocean? Stripes! The fish swim so slowly that they simply blend in with the ocean ripples. And when the prey is just a fin away, the shark makes a powerful jerk.



The older and larger the shark, the less contrasting its color becomes.

This strategy is especially effective at night. Unlike most other fish, tiger sharks, like real seals, see perfectly in the dark. By the way, their mechanism is the same as that of our Barsiks: behind the retina, the tiger shark has a reflective layer. It gives light-sensitive cells a second chance to capture visible light photons, giving fish night vision.



Tiger sharks have no one to run from, no one to fear. In the world's waters they are the apex predators. And the hunters attack everyone: shellfish, dolphins, fur seals and other sharks. But their favorite prey is turtle meat. In regions where armored reptiles are abundant, they make up up to 20% of the diet of predators!



Teeth with a special structure help the shark crack the shell of turtles like unopened pistachios. They are not as long as those of the great white shark. But their base is just as wide. This shape is better suited for crushing hard bones. But don’t worry, sharks also have devices for cutting meat! Each tooth is decorated with serrated carvings. Not for beauty, but to effectively separate body parts from prey.



If Akela misses and the hunt is unsuccessful, the shark will not disdain other sources of food. For example, carrion. Scientists often observe tiger sharks in the company of great whites, eating the carcasses of dead whales. The tiger shark is also called a garbage eater. Remember when your cat ate a plastic bag or tinsel from the Christmas tree? Sea tigresses suffer from exactly the same disease. Nails, car signs and even tires were found in their stomachs!



As you can see, there really are a lot of similarities. But people's attitude towards tiger sharks is not nearly as enthusiastic as their attitude towards striped seals. On the one hand, one can understand: the tiger shark is second only to the great white in terms of the number of victims. In addition, the fish loves to splash around the coasts, where you and I splash around too. This year, it was a tiger shark that attacked a Russian tourist in Egypt. There was a lot of hype, the shark was killed.



Although the population of tiger sharks is declining, there is nocommercial hunting is still going on. The main trophies are fins and liver

On the other hand, the desire to kill all sharks off the coast is incomprehensible. Cases of attack are so rare that they can be attributed to statistical error. In Hawaiian waters, a region where humans and tiger sharks are particularly common, the number of accidents is less than one per year. And according to the Florida Museum, from 1958 to 2023 there were only 2,900 shark attacks worldwide! And only half of them are fatal.



Most often, the attack occurs out of... curiosity. The shark is not very interested in people as lunch - we are too skinny. But diving equipment for a predator is an unusual and new thing. So the fish wants to know what it is. Alas, the shark doesn’t even have legs. Therefore, she tests everything new “to the teeth.”



Along the coasts, females breed offspring. Baby sharks are born through viviparity. One mother can become a parent for 10-80 babies!

Naturally, this does not mean that you can now swim with a tiger shark in your arms. Just like with a wild tiger, you won’t go kissing in a brotherhood. But the tiger shark is not as scary as it is painted. If you forget about the templates about the “bloodthirsty predator” and the “mindless killer”, you will see an amazing animal that is no worse than seals!