Skip to content
underwater side view of a shark near the bottom sand
A tiger shark swimming in a shallow reef patch the Bahamas. TNC is helping the Bahamian government achieve long-term protection of their national parks through The Caribbean Challenge. © Jeff Yonover

Animals We Protect

Tiger Shark

Galeocerdo cuvier

Meet the Tiger Shark  

10-14 feet long and weighing up to 1,400 pounds, the tiger shark is one of the sea’s large and mighty creatures. The name refers to the dark stripes on their sides and backs, which is one way they can be distinguished from other shark species. However, the stripes typically fade as the animal gets older. These large, slow-moving sharks live all over the world in sub-tropical waters. They are omnivores that have incredible senses—even detecting electricity—making them avid scavengers. 

Females develop embryos internally, which then hatch and incubate inside the mother before being born live. Females can give birth to up to 80 pups at a time.  
 

Breaching tiger shark in the Bahamas © Jeff Yonover
tiger shark and jacks in the Bahamas. The Caribbean Challenge aims to protect at least 20% of their marine and coastal habitats in the region by 2020. © Jeff Yonover
Closeup of a tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) in the Bahamas. © Jeff Yonover
× Breaching tiger shark in the Bahamas © Jeff Yonover
× tiger shark and jacks in the Bahamas. The Caribbean Challenge aims to protect at least 20% of their marine and coastal habitats in the region by 2020. © Jeff Yonover
× Closeup of a tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) in the Bahamas. © Jeff Yonover

Protecting the Tiger Shark 
 
Unfortunately, tiger sharks are regularly hunted—mainly for their fins, but also for their liver oil. Since they have a low reproduction rate, overfishing is a major threat to tiger shark populations. Juveniles are often caught unintentionally as bycatch, which is detrimental to the next generation. The decreasing population of tiger sharks has led the IUCN to list the species as near threatened. 

In order to best protect tiger sharks, The Nature Conservancy is trying to learn more about this mysterious animal. To do this, TNC scientists are using data from two satellite-tagged sharks to better understand the extent of their migration. These data will feed into a larger analysis of marine and avian migration across the Gulf of Mexico. This will provide the first tagging data on tiger sharks in the region.  
 
The tags will also reveal the different habitats that tiger sharks use in this particular portion of the Gulf. Initial data from other studies suggest that the west Florida shelf might act as a nursery area for juvenile tiger sharks.