Tiger sharks are dimorphic with the females growing much larger than males. A tiger shark’s weight can be anywhere from 800-1,400 while their length is 10-14 feet!

Tiger sharks have blue or light green skin with a light yellow or white under side, which helps with camouflage; the dark spots and stripes are visible on pups and young adults but will disappear as they grow older.

They can pivot quickly through the water using their long fins, long upper tail, and high dorsal fin. The tiger shark’s wedge-shaped head allows them to turn quickly from side to side as well.

The tiger shark uses characteristically small body movements when swimming instead of broad, slow strokes seen in most whales and sharks.

These sharks can be found around the world in the coastal waters of tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters. Tiger sharks are a very nomadic species, migrating with warm currents or following prey.

When tiger sharks are young, they eat small fish, mollusks, or jellyfish. When they get older, they become swimming garbage disposals thanks to their notched teeth. When these sharks are not eating objects ranging from birds and snakes to manmade things such as license plates to leather jackets, they have an eclectic marine diet. Tiger sharks can be spotted eating dugongs, dolphins, fish, and various turtles, which are their dietary preference.

Mating season for tiger sharks is November-January in the Southern Hemisphere and March-May in the Northern Hemisphere. The male forcefully puts one of his claspers inside the female, which will guide his sperm. There will be 10-80 tiger shark pups that will develop inside the mother for up to 16 months before their live birth. Even though these pups are born over 2 feet long, they can still be eaten by adult tiger sharks, which is why the pups and adults occupy two separate habitats.

Tiger sharks are the only living species left in the genus Galeocerdo and are named after the black stripes down their body, which fade with age.