Tiger Shark
Galeocerdo cuvier
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Carcharhiniformes
- Family
- Galeocerdonidae
- Genus
- Galeocerdo
- Species
- Galeocerdo cuvier
The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is a large, blunt-snouted shark named for the dark stripes on its sides. The stripes are strongest in young sharks and fade with age.
It can exceed 4-5 m and has one of the broadest diets of any shark, eating fish, turtles, sea snakes, birds and carrion. Its serrated teeth can cut through turtle shells.
In the Philippines it is rarely seen by divers, with most records from offshore waters, reefs near deep drop-offs and fisheries data.
Photo: cello caruso-turiello, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist