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Tiger sharks are fierce predators that eat anything. These incredible animals hold many secrets, including the one with the murder secret hidden in their belly! From their sheer size to the unusual development of their offspring, you are bound to learn something new from this list of 10 Awesome Tiger Shark Facts.
1. Tiger sharks can weigh over 1,700 pounds!
Tiger sharks are the second largest predatory shark in the world and the fourth largest shark overall. They usually weigh between 850 and 1400 pounds, but the largest tiger sharks weighed over 1700 pounds.
These large creatures can also grow to over 18 feet in length!
2. The mother tiger shark gives birth alive, but the babies develop in eggs.
Most live animals have a placenta that “feeds” their offspring with the nutrients they need while inside the uterus.
Tiger sharks do not develop a placenta. Instead, each child grows inside its own egg. As soon as the cubs hatch, the mother tiger shark gives birth to live offspring.
3. The tiger shark will eat everything!
Tiger sharks are labradors of the ocean world. Although they prefer food, tiger sharks will eat everything from a variety of natural prey to their own offspring or garbage that has been dumped into the ocean.
For these “ocean puppies” eating like teething puppies, our oceans need to be clean!
When animals eat materials such as plastic, it ends up in our food chain, which is ultimately fatal for all of us.
4. There is nothing, not even severed human limbs!
Here’s a wild story – a tiger shark caught in the wild once threw a human hand into a Sydney aquarium!
At first, it was assumed that the shark bit off someone’s hand during the attack, but later the police found out that she had been cut off with a sharp object.
Boxer James Smith had a distinctive tattoo on his left arm, so it was quickly traced back to him. He was also a police informant who, as part of his work, dealt with several criminals.
The suspects were arrested, but with only one hand as evidence, they were difficult to prosecute for murder. The suspect, Reginald Holmes, was eventually killed.
Since Holmes was a key witness at the trial of another suspect, John Brady, Brady was able to leave without charge. There was simply not enough evidence that he was involved in any crime.
Unfortunately, this happened in 1935, when the care of marine animals was not very high. The shark died in captivity.
No other body parts belonging to Jimmy Smith have been found.
5. They will weather a hurricane for good food
When we say tiger sharks are interested in food, we really mean it! They have been found to withstand severe storms, possibly using them as a hunting opportunity.
Scientists tracked four shark species from 2016 to 2017. Three of these species escaped the hurricane, but the tiger sharks remained in place.
In the weeks after Hurricane Irma, they spotted even more tiger sharks in the waters than there were before the hurricane.
One of the scientists, Neil Hammerschlag, believes that the size of the sharks may have something to do with this. These were the largest sharks that the researchers tracked during the study, and they were arguably better equipped to withstand the harsh waters than other species.
He also suggested that sharks may have taken advantage of the opportunity to clear away the carcasses of dead animals that would be more readily available during the storm.
6. They are experienced gardeners.
Okay, tiger sharks don’t necessarily take care of ocean plants, but they scare off herbivores that eat seagrass!
The seagrass in Australia’s Shark Bay was in ruins after a heat wave in 2011 but has gradually grown back. Recovery is faster when tiger sharks are nearby, as they are one of the few sharks that eat sea turtles.
Their presence is enough to scare them, and possibly other animals, away from the grass so that it can grow.
7. They can have up to 80 children!
What a big family! Unfortunately, you won’t see them getting ready for their next family reunion anytime soon.
Baby sharks are prey to adult tiger sharks, but thankfully they thrive in a variety of different habitats. Young sharks prefer quieter places, such as estuaries or bays, where they can feed on small prey.
Adults are large enough to swim in harsher waters, where food sources are also larger and more varied.
The tiger shark and its many descendants are in stark contrast to the sand tiger sharks, another species of shark whose descendants eat each other in the womb! Only the strongest can survive.
Tiger sharks and sand tigers are often confused with each other due to their very similar names.
8. They are among the many animals that think that this person got it.
In 2018, Dylan McWilliams was only 20 years old. He has already been attacked by a snake, a bear and a tiger shark!
For the first time he felt the shark touch his leg when he began to kick it and swim away. He says he knew he was bitten because he left the blood in the water.
Dylan needed seven stitches on his leg, but luckily he survived the attack.
The bear attack occurred while he was asleep on the hike, and a rattlesnake bite occurred in 2015 while Dylan was on the hike.
We really hope that after these meetings he was more fortunate!
9. Tiger sharks migrate for the winter like birds.
Tiger sharks prefer warm waters. Their ideal temperature is around 71 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius).
When the water begins to cool in winter, sharks head to tropical areas to keep warm. In summer, they return to cooler waters to maintain an ideal habitat.
10. They are at the top of the food chain.
Tiger sharks have no natural predators other than humans, which are known to kill them for their skin, fins, flesh and fat. They are also hunted for entertainment purposes.
When it comes to ocean life, the only thing that kills tiger sharks are other tiger sharks! And the occasional killer whale attacks.
They usually eat smaller sharks, including their own offspring. This is one of the reasons why they live mostly on their own: babies feed on small prey such as fish, jellyfish or shellfish in calmer waters, while adults endure harsher conditions with larger prey.
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