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Animal profile

Tiger Shark

Galeocerdo cuvier

ChondrichthyesTropical and warm temperate coastal waters, reefs, lagoons and adjacent open oceanNear Threatened

Field profile

The tiger shark is a large requiem shark, commonly three to four and a half metres long, named for the dark vertical bars that fade with age. It has an exceptionally broad diet and moves between coastal and oceanic habitats. Females bear live young after an unusually long gestation.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2026-01-28

Tiger Shark

Tiger shark teeth are built to cut turtle shell

The tiger shark's tooth is unlike any other shark's: a broad cockscomb blade with a deep notch and coarse serrations on both edges. The shape works as a can opener, letting the shark shear through sea turtle carapace that other predators cannot breach.

Read with evidence →

Tiger Shark | Daily Animal Facts