tiger shark

Also known as Galeocerdo cuvier

species of fish

OverviewAI-generated

The tiger shark, scientifically known as *Galeocerdo cuvier*, is a species within the family Galeocerdonidae. It belongs to the order Carcharhiniformes and the class Elasmobranchii. The taxon is part of the genus *Galeocerdo* and has existed since about 23 million years ago. It inhabits marine and brackish environments.

The species is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List, with this status recorded in 2019. Another source lists the conservation status as critically endangered. Its range includes Brazil and New Guinea. In the wild, the tiger shark has a maximum longevity of 50 years.

Synthesized by Vinony from 33 facts across 6 sources: Wikidata, iNaturalist, WoRMS, IUCN Red List, Encyclopedia of Life, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Near Threatened

tiger shark

Species

PhylumChordata
ClassElasmobranchii
OrderCarcharhiniformes
FamilyGaleocerdonidae

Habitatmarine, brackish

Observations2,643

Maximum longevity: 50 years (wild)

via IUCN

~21 min read

Encyclopedic overview

The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is a species of ground shark, and the only extant member of the genus Galeocerdo and family Galeocerdonidae. It is a large predator, with females capable of attaining a length of over 5 m (16 ft 5 in). Populations are found in many tropical and temperate waters, especially around central Pacific islands. Its name derives from the dark stripes down its body, which resemble a tiger's pattern and fade as the shark matures.

The tiger shark is a solitary, mostly nocturnal hunter. It is notable for having the widest food spectrum of all sharks, with a range of prey that includes crustaceans, fish, seals, birds, squid, octopus, sea turtles, sea snakes, dolphins, and even smaller sharks. It also has a reputation as a "garbage eater", consuming a variety of inedible, man-made objects that linger in its stomach. Tiger sharks have only one recorded natural predator, the orca. It is considered a near-threatened species because of finning and fishing by humans.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “tiger shark” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.