# Tiger Shark — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Galeocerdo cuvier (Péron & Lesueur, 1822) — family Galeocerdonidae*

> The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is a large generalist predator whose uniquely notched, heavily serrated teeth can cut through sea turtle shell, and which is listed as Near Threatened.

**IUCN status:** Near Threatened — a genuine generalist predator  ·  **WARN range:** Tropical and warm-temperate oceans worldwide, Coastal shelves, reefs and open ocean

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Length | Typically up to ~5 m |
| Teeth | Notched and fully serrated — built for sawing |
| Diet | The broadest of any large shark |
| Litter size | Up to 80 pups |
| Ecological role | Shapes seagrass grazing through prey behaviour |
| Key threats | Fisheries, fin trade, shark control programmes |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Chondrichthyes
- **Order:** Carcharhiniformes
- **Family:** Galeocerdonidae
- **Genus:** Galeocerdo
- **Species:** Galeocerdo cuvier

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Near Threatened
- **Population:** Unknown; regional declines documented
- **Trend:** Decreasing
- **Assessed:** 2020
- **CITES:** Not listed
- Higher fecundity than most large sharks gives some resilience, but targeted fishing, bycatch and shark control mortality continue to reduce populations.

## Key facts: Tiger Shark
- Tiger sharks have the broadest diet of any large shark, including sea turtles.
- Their notched, heavily serrated teeth are shaped for sawing rather than piercing.
- The stripes that give them their name fade as the animal matures.
- Litters can reach 80 pups, unusually high for a shark.
- They are Near Threatened, taken in fisheries and finning and in shark control programmes.

## The tooth that defines the diet
Most large sharks have teeth built to grip or to slice flesh. The tiger shark's are broad, cockscomb-shaped, deeply notched on one edge and serrated along their whole length — a saw rather than a blade.

That design lets a tiger shark cut through sea turtle shell, which almost no other predator can do, and to open large hard-bodied prey. It is the single anatomical feature that underwrites the species' reputation as an indiscriminate feeder.

## A genuine generalist
Stomach content studies record an extraordinary range: bony fish, rays, other sharks, sea turtles, seabirds, sea snakes, squid, crustaceans, seals and dolphins, plus carrion. In some places seasonal prey drives their movements — tiger sharks gather where fledgling albatrosses first take to the water.

They also swallow indigestible human rubbish, which produced the old 'swimming dustbin' label. That habit is a symptom of an opportunistic feeding strategy rather than a lack of discrimination, and it makes them useful, if grim, samplers of marine litter.

## Ecological role
As a large predator on turtles and dugongs, tiger sharks shape grazing behaviour in seagrass meadows. Where tiger sharks are present, grazers avoid the most exposed areas and seagrass persists; where sharks are removed, grazing intensifies and the meadow degrades.

This is a well-documented example of a predator's effect running through prey behaviour rather than prey numbers — the same mechanism described for wolves and elk, but underwater.

## Pressures
Tiger sharks are taken as target catch and bycatch, and their fins enter the shark fin trade. They are also killed in shark control programmes using drumlines and nets, which remove large numbers of animals with little demonstrated effect on bite risk.

They are listed as Near Threatened. Their relatively high fecundity — litters can reach 80 pups — gives them more resilience than slow-breeding sharks such as the great white, but sustained fishing pressure still drives declines.

## What WARN does
WARN publishes free, sourced species education for the animals that are killed because of how they are perceived. Shark control programmes remove large numbers of tiger sharks with limited evidence of benefit, and accurate information about the actual level of risk is what shifts that policy.

If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.

## Frequently asked questions: Tiger Shark
### Why is it called a tiger shark?
For the dark vertical bars along the flanks of young animals, which resemble tiger stripes. The markings fade as the shark matures and are often barely visible in large adults.

### What do tiger sharks eat?
Almost anything. Recorded prey includes fish, rays, other sharks, sea turtles, seabirds, sea snakes, squid, crustaceans, seals and dolphins, plus carrion — the broadest diet of any large shark. They also swallow indigestible human litter.

### How can tiger sharks eat sea turtles?
Their teeth. Tiger shark teeth are broad, deeply notched and serrated along the whole edge, functioning as a saw rather than a blade, which lets them cut through turtle shell that other predators cannot open.

### Are tiger sharks dangerous to humans?
They are among the shark species most often involved in bites on people, along with great whites and bull sharks. Even so, bites are rare in absolute terms, and shark control programmes that kill large numbers of tiger sharks have shown limited evidence of reducing risk.

### Are tiger sharks endangered?
They are listed as Near Threatened. Litters of up to 80 pups give them more resilience than slower-breeding sharks, but targeted fishing, bycatch, the fin trade and shark control programmes continue to drive declines.

### Where do tiger sharks live?
Tiger Sharks live in Tropical and warm-temperate oceans worldwide, Coastal shelves, reefs and open ocean. The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is a large generalist predator whose uniquely notched, heavily serrated teeth can cut through sea turtle shell, and which is listed as Near Threatened.

### How long do tiger sharks live?
A precise wild lifespan for tiger sharks is not firmly established in the sources cited on this guide. The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is a large generalist predator whose uniquely notched, heavily serrated teeth can cut through sea turtle shell, and which is listed as Near Threatened. Where longevity figures appear in the literature they vary by region, sex and whether animals are wild or captive.

### How big is a tiger shark?
A Tiger Shark is about Typically up to ~5 m. The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is a large generalist predator whose uniquely notched, heavily serrated teeth can cut through sea turtle shell, and which is listed as Near Threatened. Conservation status: Fisheries, fin trade, shark control programmes.

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List — Galeocerdo cuvier](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/39378/2913541)
- [Smithsonian Ocean — Sharks](https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/sharks-rays)

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Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/tiger-shark