Date: 9/21/2023 8:00 AM
Wonderful Thursday everyone! Today's fish of the day is the tiger shark!
The tiger shark, also known by the scientific name Galeocerdo cuvier, is well known among sharks, and one of my personal favorites. Tiger sharks are a species of ground shark, ground sharks being a large family known for their nictitating membrane (a transparent third eyelid. This is actually the "sideways eyelids" that some reptiles have, as it is a moisture control that can act like a windshield wiper.)
Tiger sharks can be found in temperate and temperate waters, especially in and around central Pacific islands, due to their preference for being close to coasts. They've been found as far north as Japan, and as far south as Aotearoa, although they are migratory, and in winter months they are found congregating about the equator. They have been observed in the Mediterranean around Spain, Italy, and Libya. Along with that, they have been recorded in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Africa, India, China, Australia, and Indonesia.
Tiger sharks tend to stay in deeper water, just past coral reefs, although they have no qualms against moving into channels, and closer to shore in hunt of prey. They're nocturnal hunters, and known for being willing to eat almost anything, including many things they should not eat (earning them the reputation of garbage eaters). This exhaustive list includes, but is not limited to: fish, various dolphins, dugongs, jellyfish, cephalopods, sea snakes, sea birds, crustaceans, and on one recorded occasion, a humpback whale. On the other hand, tiger sharks have only two natural predators, consisting of orcs, and humans, who regularly hunt tiger sharks for their pelts and fins.
Everyone have a wonderful Thursday!