SharkoFiles: Sand Tiger Shark

The sand tiger shark is notable for its ferocious appearance. However, despite the appearance, this shark species are one of the most docile sharks in the ocean. They only attack when provoked; otherwise, they are harmless to humans.

They are one of the big sharks likely to be seen on display in the public aquarium since they fare well in captivity, unlike the great whites. In the wild, the expected lifespan of the shark is 15 or more years. However, it has been known to live up to 40 years in captivity.

As the name may suggest, the sand tiger is not related to the tiger shark. In fact, it is more related to the fearsome great white sharks. Individuals range from 6.5 ft to 10.5ft. Sand tiger sharks are denser than water and maintain buoyancy by taking a gulp of air and retaining it in their stomach. They have widespread distribution ranging from close to shoreline to various depths in the ocean.

The sand tiger is a slow-moving shark that prefers hunting fish and invertebrates. As regards reproduction, the shark species have one of the least reproduction rates with only two pups born per year. Due to this low reproduction rate alongside overfishing, the population of the shark species have been declared vulnerable. During pregnancy, the developing embryos exhibit intrauterine cannibalism, whereby more develop embryos feed upon less developed ones in the uterus.

Taxonomy
The sand tiger shark belongs to the order of lamniformes and family of Odontaspididae. The scientific name of the shark is Carcharias taurus.

Morphology
The shark has its first dorsal fin placed back on the body, which is closer to the pelvic fins than the pectoral fins. It has a flattened snout and long mouth extending behind the eyes. The sand tiger shark is generally light brown on the dorsal side, and on the ventral side it is grayish-white. Several of these shark species have darker reddish or brown spot scattered on the body.

Adaptation
The shark can detect electrical signals from prey about 8 to 12 inches away from them. Due to the tendency to hunt in a group, the sand tiger sharks have higher success during hunting, which make up for their sluggish movement. They have the ability to remain motionless while floating in the water column due to the use of buoyancy control.

Feeding
The diet of this shark species comprises mainly large and small bony fish, small sharks, rays, squid and crustaceans. It likewise has voracious appetite with teeth develop for eating small prey.

Habitat
The sand tiger shark is frequently found in sandy coastal waters, shallow bays, estuarine, as well as tropical reefs. Despite many of the species preferring shallow waters they likewise swim down to depths as low as 656 ft. Occasionally, they can be found resting on the sea bed.

Reproduction
This sand tiger shark is ovoviviparous. The female bears two young pups in one year. The gestation period of pregnancy is 9 to 12 months. Each pup weighs approximately 36 to 41 inches which is fairly large for a juvenile shark. The female matures when they attain the size range of 87 inches to 94 inches.

Read the latest Sand Tiger news from Sharkophile.com

Photos