TIGER SHARK ─ The Most Notorious Maneater!

Weighing from 850 to 1,400 pounds and 10 to 14 feet in length, nothing in the ocean is as deadly as this killing machine. Even sizable creatures like seals, dolphins, birds, and various crustaceans cannot escape this ferocious beast's wrath. It also feasts on injured or ailing whales. With dark, ventricle-striped features of an apex predator, they duly earned a reputation for a series of brutal encounters with humans. Meet the tiger shark, one of the most notorious man-eater shark species. Tiger shark, scientifically named Galokerdos cuvier. Galokerdos cuvier comes from the Greek word galeas, shark, and kerdo, fox. This relates to the sneaky way that it approaches its prey. It's also known as the man-eater shark, the leopard shark, and spotted shark. Other than being the only extant and most lethal species of the genus Galokerdos, and is nature's most efficiently designed killing machine. The largest and most dangerous species belong to the family of requiem sharks, sharks that migrate and bear live young ones. There are about 60 species included in this group. Among them are the blacktip reef shark, the Caribbean reef shark, and the bull shark. Among all of these, tiger sharks deliver the most massive and catastrophic bite. A heavily calcified jaw, broad terminal mouth, and strong serrated teeth can unleash damage one cannot imagine. All of these, when combined with their size and their strength, end in a disastrous attack bleeding the prey to death. Their teeth are so sharp that they can easily slice through bones, flesh, and turtle shells as the longest tiger shark measured 24.6 feet, while the heaviest weighed in at 1,780 pounds. Very similar to that of a tiger, it's got dark vertical stripes on its back, found mainly on juveniles. These lines begin to fade as they mature. Second largest to the great white, these are highly dangerous animals for anything that dwells in the oceans. These solitary nighttime hunters are found predominantly in the central areas of the Pacific Ocean and the tropical and temperate waters. Tiger sharks have been confirmed at a depth of up to 1,150 feet, but they aren't generally considered a deep water species. They might appear to be sluggish, but they are always to be feared. They are the best swimmers of their kind. They attack their prey with an undeniable speed. Not only do they have incredible sight, but it's also said that their eyes have the ability of great perception. Although tiger sharks do not have movable upper or lower eyelids, behind the tiger shark's retina there's a reflective layer that enhances vision in low light conditions. Tiger sharks have a unique technique of hunting. They circle their prey before they attack. The best way to escape from this is by clawing at its gills, its eyes, and its snout. And these tiger sharks have teeth designed for shearing their food, so the damage that they inflict is devastating. The female tiger shark develops embryos internally. Their gestation period is 13 to 16 months. In general, tiger sharks live up to 15 years. They get to the sexual maturity stage from 7 to 10 years old. The oldest tiger shark ever recorded to be alive was 50 years old. They reproduce by internal fertilization and are ovovivaporous, which means that they give birth to live young. But embryos develop inside egg cases within the mother's womb. Embryos receive nutrients from a yolk sac and hatch out of these egg caches prior to birth. Females can get birth to as many as 82 pups per litter, with an average litter size between 30 and 35 pups. As adult tiger sharks exhibit cannibalistic behaviors, juveniles are usually found in more protected areas like estuaries and bays, whereas adults typically prefer more open ocean, energetic environments like coral reefs. This division of habitat not only protects juvenile sharks from the other large predators, but also by being eaten from adult tiger sharks. Their gray color helps them to blend into the waters easily and to attack out of nowhere. This is why there were many reports of tiger sharks being spotted in swimming areas. They can easily sneak into them for hours undiscovered. Killer whales and humans are both predators of adult tiger sharks. Killer whales are larger in size and weight than tiger sharks, allowing them to overwhelm these fish. Humans capture baby and adult tiger sharks in commercial fishing nets and they kill them for their skin, their liver oil, and their cartilage. Baby tiger sharks are sometimes as small as 20 inches long at birth, which makes them vulnerable to being eaten by larger sharks and seals. Tiger sharks are slow swimmers in comparison to other sharks, so it's challenging for the prey to identify the threat. A tiger shark is a long list of prey. Some of the things that these sharks hunt include squid, sea turtles, dolphins, smaller sharks, clams, rays, and seabirds. Moreover, the tiger shark is one of the shark species that are most likely to attack humans unprovoked. Although sharks rarely bite humans, the tiger shark is reported to be responsible for a large share of fatal shark bite incidents, as they often visit shallow reefs, harbors, and canals, creating the potential for an encounter with humans. The tiger shark also dwells in river mouths and other runoff-rich water. It's also considered to be one of the most dangerous sharks in the world for that reason. Tiger sharks are among the big three aggressive shark species, along with the great white shark and the bull shark. It's testified that out of 111 reported tiger shark attacks, 31 were fatal. Typically, three to four shark bites occur per year in Hawaii, but they're rarely fatal. One notable survivor of such an attack is surfing champion Bethany Hamilton. In 2003, 13-year-old Bethany Hamilton was surfing the tunnels off Kauai with her friend Alana Blanchard when a tiger shark decided to change her life. While Hamilton was lying on her buoy with her arm dangling in the water, the shark bit into her and her board. The bite took off her arm just below the shoulder. Blanchard helped Hamilton back to shore where Blanchard's father made a tourniquet that saved her life. A 14-foot tiger shark, believed to be the shark that attacked Hamilton, was trapped by a local fisherman, Ralph Young. That shark weighed nearly 1,400 pounds. Hamilton went on to rank as one of the top ten professional women surfers in the world. Tiger sharks tend to follow and stay alongside warm currents. Their ideal temperature rests around 71 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water starts to cool in the winter, sharks head toward the tropical areas to keep warm. In the summer, they return to slightly cooler waters to maintain their ideal habitat. They are everywhere, from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea to coastal parts of India, Africa, Indonesia, and Australia. These apex predators can pick up the vibrations of their prey and hunt it, even in low visibility. Even a tiny trace of blood can be picked up by these tiger sharks, as they possess an acute sense of smell. They're also fished commercially and recreationally in some parts. Although finning tiger sharks is prohibited, it's likely that many tiger sharks still die from illegal fin harvesting. In Australia, tiger sharks are baited and culled near swimming areas where shark attacks are a concern, and the IUCN has listed these species as near threatened due to the decline in population. But still, these tiger sharks are frequent victims of bycatch, which means that they are killed unintentionally by fishing practices intended to harvest other species. Tiger sharks are solitary hunters, often feeding at night, and they are well known for feeding on a wide spectrum of prey species. They will eat most marine organisms, as well as seabirds and terrestrial carrion. They've even been recorded with a wide range of inedible man-made objects in their stomachs, from license plates and car tires to bottles and cans. This variety in prey species means that tiger sharks are especially important apex predators for maintaining balanced marine ecosystems and ensuring that no prey populations grow to the point that they have negative impacts on other species. Similarly, their presence in and around seagrass beds is thought to protect these habitats from being overgrazed by turtles and other prey species. Though they're typically generalist feeders, in some areas around the world's researchers, they've discovered individuals that have developed specialized feeding strategies. For example, feeding almost exclusively on seabirds or seals. So, tell us what you think of this absolute unit of an apex predator. Labradors, scavengers of the open world? Dangerous, aggressive hunter-killer beasts in the comment section below. And also, don't forget to leave a like on this video, smash that subscribe button, and hit the notification bell for more epic beasts. Thanks for watching, we'll catch you in the next one.