Asian Diver – March 2018

Atlantic Ocean Pacific Ocean

SNOUT, JAWS AND TEETH
The tiger shark has a robust, wide head
and a very blunt snout. The jaws contain
18–25 rows of large teeth with curved
cusps and finely serrated edges.
Its teeth are specialised to slice through
flesh, bone, and other tough substances
such as turtle shells

EPIC MIGRATIONS
A recent study found that tiger sharks in the
Atlantic Ocean complete an epic migration
every year similar to birds and sea turtles.
Sharks tracked using satellite tags spent
the summer months in the mid Atlantic
and then travelled to the coral reefs of the
Caribbean for the winter, a round trip of
over 7,500 kilometres!

NICTITATING MEMBRANE
Tiger sharks have large eyes for enhanced
vision in low-light conditions and a special
protective eyelid called a nictitating
membrane that closes over the eye to
protect it from fighting prey

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION

Found throughout the world’s temperate

and tropical seas with the exception of the

Mediterranean.

Western Atlantic: Massachusetts, USA to

Uruguay, including Gulf of Mexico and

the Caribbean

Eastern Atlantic: Iceland to Angola

Indo-Pacific: Persian Gulf, Red Sea and

East Africa to Hawaii and Tahiti, north to

southern Japan, south to New Zealand.

Eastern Pacific: Southern California, USA

to Peru, including the Revillagigedo, Cocos,

and Galápagos islands

7,500

kilometres

Atlantic Ocean

Mid Atlantic

Caribbean Sea

HABITAT

A common, wide-ranging coastal

pelagic species with a high tolerance for

different marine habitats and a worldwide

distribution in tropical and warm

temperate seas. This shark prefers

murky waters in coastal areas and

is commonly found in river estuaries,

harbours, and other inlets where runoff

from the land may attract a high number

of prey items. Often seen at the surface

but has also been reported at depths

of 350 metres

TOURISM

Despite their size and reputation as one

of the most dangerous of all sharks, it is

possible to safely dive with this species.

Tiger Beach, a dive site in the Bahamas,

is the most famous place in the world

for reliable and up close encounters

with large numbers of tiger sharks,

but regular sightings also occur on shark

dives in Fiji, French Polynesia, Florida and

Coco Island, Costa Rica

Area of distribution