Tiger Shark
The Tiger Shark hunts alone and gets its name from the dark stripes across its back, which fade as the shark grows older. It is a deadly predator who will eat anything it can catch and get down its throat. It has an extraordinary sense of smell, and almost two-thirds of its brain is dedicated to processing information about scents.
The tiger shark is one of the most feared sharks in the world because it is
known to be a man-eater. It has a very large mouth, with powerful jaws. Its
teeth are flat, triangular, notched and serrated and can slice right through
many things. It really doesn't care what it eats, and all kinds of things have
been found in its stomach, including metal objects like car license plates.
When a tiger shark loses one of its teeth, it will grow another one to replace
the lost or broken tooth. Its head is kind of wedge shaped which makes it really
easy for the shark to turn quickly to one side. It can weigh up to 2,200 pounds,
on average, and is usually 10 to 16 feet long, but can grow up to 23 feet long.
It has a long upper tail lobe that helps to provide its sudden bursts of speed.
The tiger shark has good eyesight, but probably uses its other senses to find
and catch its prey. With its awesome sense of smell it can pick up the faintest
trace of blood in the water and follow it to the source. The tiger shark has electro receptors
that allow it to sense even the tiniest of movements in its
prey. The electro receptors are so sensitive that even the smallest muscle twitch
will be picked up. This helps the shark locate prey in dark, murky water as
well.
The sharks can have between 10 and 80 (yes 80) young in each brood. The mother
will carry her young in her body for nine months, they do not lay eggs in the
water like other fish. When the sharks are born they begin to hunt for
themselves right away. They are able to swim as soon as they are born, and have
a full set of teeth.
Tiger sharks are found in coastal, tropical water throughout the world. They
will spread south and north in the summer following the warm water currents.
They have traveled as far south as New Zealand, and as far north as Japan and
the northern United States. During the winter months it will stay closer to the
equator. They are solitary creatures, as well as nomadic, who can travel up to
50 miles in one day. They are thought to live for 30 to 40 years, but no-one
really knows for sure.