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Tiger Shark

The tiger shark gets its name from the distinctive, gray vertical “stripes” and spots covering the side of its body. Bars are very noticeable in juveniles but fade into adulthood.

 

Reaching typical lengths between 3-4.3 meters (10-14 feet) and weighing over 385 kilograms (850 pounds), the tiger shark is one of the largest predatory sharks in the world. They are a wide-ranging species that can be found throughout the world in both temperate and tropical waters; and open ocean and shallow coastal waters.  

Tiger sharks are generalist predators, famous for eating just about anything they can find or capture. While their preferred prey varies depending on geographic location, but they have been known to eat sea turtles, rays, other sharks, bony fishes, sea birds, dolphin, squid and various crustaceans. Tiger sharks have also been known to eat garbage, including metal, plastic, burlap bags, and almost any other item discarded in the sea.  

 

 

These sharks are often the target of recreational fisheries as well as caught as bycatch in gillnet and longline fisheries. Tiger sharks are also valued for their high-quality fins, skin, and liver oil which contribute to its listing as “Near Threatened” on the IUCN Red List.

 

 

The buying and selling of shark fins has been banned in multiple countries, including the United States and Canada following significant campaigning by Oceana and our allies. But there’s more work to be done. 

Oceana continues to campaign around the world for better fisheries management and policies to protect sharks, which are key predators and critical species for maintaining healthy oceans. 

 

 

 

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