Tiger sharks

Tiger sharks

Tiger sharks

Tiger sharks

Geographical Extent

Tiger sharks are primarily found between 45° N and 32° S in numerous subtropical and tropical waters. Tiger sharks have been spotted from the eastern coast of North America to the eastern coast of Brazil. This comprises the Gulf of Mexico coasts of southern North America, Mexico, and Latin America. Tiger sharks can be found off the shores of China, India, Africa, Japan, and numerous Pacific Ocean islands.

Habitat

Tiger sharks are a kind of saltwater shark. Although they favor the seagrass ecosystems along the coast, they may live elsewhere because of the availability of prey. Tiger sharks spend 36% of their time in shallow coastal areas, often at depths of 2.5 to 145 m (Heithaus et al., 2002). However, this species has been found at depths up to 350 m and several kilometers from the shallow waters. More commonly than males, females are seen in shallow waters.

Description of the body

One of the biggest carnivores in the water is the tiger shark. The tiger-like stripes on juveniles gradually disappear as they age. Tiger sharks have a pale yellow or white underbelly and are blue or green in hue. This species has a wedge-shaped head with a broad, blunt nose at the end. Tiger sharks can easily rip flesh off their victims and fracture their bones and shells because of their serrated teeth. The dorsal lobe of the caudal fin is longer than the ventral lobe because they have a heterocercal tail.Tiger sharks can grow to a length of 6.25 to 7.5 meters as adults, but larger specimens have been recorded. Tiger shark females are typically 2.92 m in length compared to the males' average length of 3.20 m. Adult tiger sharks typically weigh between 385 and 635 kg, with the largest reaching 862 kg.

Developments

Tiger shark embryos are fertilized internally. During the 13 to 16-month gestation period, a yolk sac develops around the embryos to provide essential nutrition. The embryo takes nutrition directly from the mother as the yolk starts to deplete toward the end of the gestation. Tiger sharks are fully formed and autonomous at birth. They have tiger-like stripes on their back and a pale yellow or white belly at birth, which helps them blend in with their surroundings. When the juveniles reach adulthood, which takes about 6 to 8 years, these stripes start to vanish. Males mature sooner than females do.

Reproduction

Tiger fish are polygynandrous, which means both sexes have several partners and never form a couple. The ways in which tiger sharks discover, attract, and defend mates are not well understood.

Tiger shark males mature sexually when they measure an average of 292 cm in length, while females mature sexually when they measure 330 to 345 cm. Once every three years, females mate. The northern and southern hemispheres have different breeding seasons. Females delay fertilization until March or May in the northern hemisphere in order to give birth between May and June of the following year. Females in the southern hemisphere wait until November or January to mate so that they can give birth between February and March of the following year.One of the very few ovoviviparous species is the tiger shark. After a reproductive period of 16 months, females deliver litters of 10 to 80 pups. Numerous of these puppies won't live to adulthood. Puppies are born weighing between 3 and 6 kilograms.Diametric testes, which are more able to produce sperm than radial or compound testes, are seen on male tiger sharks. The epigonal organ, a primary lymphoid tissue in elasmobranchs, has an external ovary on it in females.

Tiger shark mothers often give birth in a nursery, which offers safety to the newborns both during birth and right away after. Tiger sharks are born autonomous, and their moms do not assist their young in locating food, shelter, or means of survival. Males have no influence on their offspring's lives. Puppies, on the other hand, are born with characteristics that help them live without their parents, such as camouflage patterns, fangs to assist them catch prey, and speed to elude predators.

Life expectancy

Tiger sharks

Tiger sharks can live up to 50 years in the wild, but the average lifespan is 27 years. In captivity, tiger sharks only survive for a maximum of 17 to 20 years. Since tiger sharks find dead food less appetizing, this species typically dies in captivity from starvation rather than old age.

Behavior

Tiger sharks are nocturnal predators that are mostly solitary, with the exception of when they are mating or when they are eating in groups on enormous corpses. Tiger sharks have a loose social structure during these group feedings, with larger sharks feeding first. When the larger sharks have finished eating, the smaller sharks move in to feast. There isn't much violence during these scavenging feasts.The heterocercal tail, also known as the caudal fin, is the main means of propulsion in tiger sharks. A shark's head should turn upward as a result of the caudal fin's downward thrust of water behind the center of balance. However, the tail's ability to oscillate side to side prevents the head from turning up. As a result, tiger sharks travel in an S-shaped pattern.

Inside Range

Tiger sharks have enormous habitational areas. People who had transmitters connected could swim up to 16 km in a single day and leave the area for almost a year. Tiger sharks have huge home ranges that measure over 23 square kilometers.

Observation and Communicating

Tiger sharks use electromagnetic receptors in order to sense their surroundings and hunt for prey. On the tip of their noses, they have sensory organs called Ampullae of Lorenzini, which are filled with a jelly-like substance that can interpret electromagnetic signals. The sensory nerves and the brain receive these signals once they are transmitted from the pores. Tiger sharks can sense electromagnetic signals emitted by fish while they are hunting. These organs are also used by tiger sharks to detect changes in water temperature and pressure (Plessis, 2010).The lateral line on both sides of the body of this species' members extends from the gill line to the base of the tail. The lateral line detects vibrations in the water caused by neighboring animals' movements. Additionally, the lateral lines and ampullae of Lorenzini are useful for identifying electromagnetic signals from other sharks. Sharks communicate their authority through signals when collectively dining on carcasses, which determines their feeding order.

Food Customs

Mollusks, birds, snakes, crustaceans, sea turtles, and dugongs are among the animals that tiger sharks eat. This species' ability to pierce sea turtle shells is due to its serrated teeth. Large tiger sharks can go for several weeks without eating, and they frequently scavenge dead or injured whales. Most likely, this species uses stealth to capture prey rather than power and speed. They can approach prey up close thanks to their remarkable camouflage. Tiger sharks may back off and avoid engaging in fast pursuit if their prey runs. Tiger sharks can accelerate briefly when their meal is within reach, though.

Predation

Few species feed on tiger sharks, which are among the biggest predators in the ocean. However, some young tiger sharks become victims of other sharks. Tiger shark mothers give birth in nurseries, which offer protection to the young both during the birth canal and while the parents are not around. Tiger sharks' coloring serves as protection from predators as well. In addition, people fish for tiger sharks.

role of ecosystems

Tiger sharks are the top predators in their environment, and while this hasn't been proven, it's possible that they regulate prey species' populations. Tiger sharks also house small suckerfish called remoras. Remoras and tiger sharks have a commensal relationship in which they cling to the shark's underbelly and use it as a means of transportation and defense. Remoras also consume debris that tiger sharks dump. In Australia, copepods—more especially sea louse—have recently been found around the eyes of tiger sharks.

Positive Economic Impact for Humans

Tiger sharks

Tiger sharks

Tiger sharks are common gamefish that are often caught and released for entertainment purposes. They can perform aerial performances when hooked and are extremely swift and strong. Tiger sharks are difficult to exhaust since they do not do so rapidly or easily. Fishermen are permitted to acquire the shark as a prize in some states with the use of permits like a saltwater fishing license.