Species: Galeocerdo cuvier, Tiger Shark

Galeocerdo cuvier (Peron & Lesueur in Lesueur, 1822)

Tiger Shark

Head and body stout but becoming very slender towards rear; snout very short, blunt and slightly rounded (its length 0.7-1.1 of distance between nostrils); long groove over top of mouth to under eye; spiracle present as a narrow slit behind large, round eye; mouth large, wide; teeth have characteristic cockscomb shape (serrated, front edge convex, oblique tip with a deep notch on lower rear side); five gill slits, last two over pectoral; strong ridge on back between dorsal fins; origin of dorsal fin ~over free rear tip of pectoral fin; first dorsal fin not very large (height 7.5-9.3% of TL) tip pointed, rear edge concave, free rear tip long; second dorsal fin with long free rear tip, origin distinctly in front of anal fin origin; a low keel along each side of the narrow tail base; tail fin strongly asymmetric, with sharp pointed tip, large pointed lower lobe.

Adults grey with vertical bars on upper half of sides (sometimes faint or absent); young with large dark spots, some coalescing to form bars.

Size: attains 550 cm.

Habitat: coastal pelagic, often in turbid areas, and estuaries, but also on reefs; retires to deeper water during the day, and feeds on shallow reefs at night.

Depth: 0-1112 m.

Circumtropical; throughout our region.