Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)

Status: needs expert review. A science reviewer should confirm the current IUCN category, assessment date, and population trend before approval. The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is a large, highly migratory requiem shark of tropical and warm-temperate seas, named for the dark vertical bars on juveniles.

At a glance

Field	Value	Source
Scientific name	Galeocerdo cuvier	IUCN Red List
Guild	shark-ray	—
IUCN status	Near Threatened (assessed 2018; version 2019-1)	IUCN Red List
Population trend	Decreasing	IUCN Red List
Range	Tropical and warm-temperate oceans worldwide (largely absent from the Mediterranean)	Florida Museum
Typical size	325–425 cm (10–14 ft); largest specimens exceed 5.5 m	Florida Museum

Identification

The tiger shark has a robust body, a broad blunt snout, and large eyes. The dorsal surface is dark grey to brownish, fading to a pale white underside. Juveniles show pronounced dark vertical bars ("tiger" stripes) that fade with age. Its teeth are distinctive — heavily serrated with curved cusps and a deep notch on the outer margin lined with cusplets — and are similar in shape in both jaws (Florida Museum).

Ecology and behavior

Tiger sharks occupy coastal and oceanic waters, including murky inshore areas, estuaries, harbors, and island lagoons, and have been recorded at depths to roughly 350 m. They are reported to feed primarily at night and undertake seasonal migrations between tropical and temperate regions as well as long oceanic movements between islands. The species is reproductively ovoviviparous, with a gestation of roughly 13–16 months and litters reported from about 10 to 80 pups (Florida Museum). Tiger sharks have an unusually broad documented diet, including sea turtles, rays, bony fish, sea birds, and marine mammals; behavioral specifics should be cited to published research and confirmed in review.

Conservation status and threats

The IUCN Red List assesses the tiger shark globally as Near Threatened (assessed 2018, published in version 2019-1), with a decreasing population trend. Although the species grows relatively quickly and produces large litters, its likely triennial reproductive cycle reduces its capacity to recover from fishing pressure (IUCN Red List).

Documented threats include:

• Targeted commercial, recreational, and artisanal fisheries, including take for fins and meat
• Incidental capture (bycatch) in mixed fisheries
• Capture in beach-protection ("shark control") gear in some regions

Report figures as the cited authorities state them; a reviewer should confirm the current assessment.

How to observe responsibly

This page does not provide approach guidance. Any shark encounter must follow a reviewed observation guide and local regulations, which set minimum distances and prohibit feeding, baiting, or chasing. Provisioned ("baited") shark-diving is controversial and is described, not promoted, here; follow operators that hold required permits and keep their distance (ETHICS.md). Because the species is fisheries-targeted, this page keeps coastal foraging and aggregation areas at regional granularity only.

How you can help

• Log sightings to a recognized citizen-science platform (see the iNaturalist dataset card).
• Support shark-bycatch reduction and finning bans through credible organizations.
• Choose dive operators that follow no-touch, no-feed, distance-first practices.