Subscribe Now! National Geographic Magazine $15
Visit our Online Shops

Sign up for free

Newsletters

Once a month
get new photos
and expert tips.

Tiger Shark
Galeocerdo cuvier

Photo: Tiger shark just below the surface
A tiger shark just below the surface
Photograph by Bill Curtsinger

Tiger Shark Profile

Tiger sharks are named for the dark, vertical stripes found mainly on juveniles. As these sharks mature, the lines begin to fade and almost disappear.

These large, blunt-nosed predators have a duly earned reputation as man-eaters. They are second only to great whites in attacking people. But because they have a near completely undiscerning palate, they are not likely to swim away after biting a human, as great whites frequently do.

They are consummate scavengers, with excellent senses of sight and smell and a nearly limitless menu of diet items. They have sharp, highly serrated teeth and powerful jaws that allow them to crack the shells of sea turtles and clams. The stomach contents of captured tiger sharks have included stingrays, sea snakes, seals, birds, squids, and even license plates and old tires.

Tiger sharks are common in tropical and sub-tropical waters throughout the world. Large specimens can grow to as much as 20 to 25 feet (6 to 7.5 meters) in length and weigh more than 1,900 pounds (900 kilograms).

They are heavily harvested for their fins, skin, and flesh, and their livers contain high levels of vitamin A, which is processed into vitamin oil. They have extremely low repopulation rates, and therefore may be highly susceptible to fishing pressure. They are listed as near threatened throughout their range.

Fast Facts

Type: Fish
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: Up to 50 years
Size: 10 to 14 ft (3.25 to 4.25 m)
Weight: 850 to 1,400 lbs (385 to 635 kg)
Group name: School or shoal
Did you know? The tiger shark's reputation as an indiscriminate eater that will swallow anything it finds, including garbage, has earned it the nickname "wastebasket of the sea."
Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:
Illustration of the animal's relative size

Multimedia

Shark Features

Photo: Gray reef sharks

Photo of the Day: Teem Leaders

See gray reef sharks swimming in a French Polynesian lagoon as tropical fish teem below.

Photo: Tiger shark

Photo of the Day: Tiger Craw

See a close-up of a tiger shark hunting for fledgling albatrosses in Hawaii's French Frigate Shoals.

Photo: Tiger shark

Shark Bay

Get up close and personal with the voracious tiger sharks of Australia's Shark Bay in this Field Tales feature.

Photo: Sand tiger shark

Oceans of Plenty

See a frenzy of sea life where cold and warm water meet off the coast of South Africa in this multimedia feature.

Other Sharks

Map: Locator map for the tiger shark
 Tiger Shark range

Special Advertising Sections

Photo: Caernarfon Castle in Wales

Photo Contest

Download a game widget and enter to win!

Photo Gallery

Traverse the jungle and scale the dunes.

Fish Right Rail

Get the Latest Headlines

Photo: Grizzly bears

Make us your online news source.

Get Animal Pictures

Photo: Anemonefish

Get your daily dose of photos.

For Kids!

Photo: A cartoon dog

It's no stretch to find fun facts on our Kids site!

Six Degrees Book and DVD

Image: Six Degrees DVD and book

Get an eye-opening warning of the dangers of climate change, one degree at a time.