Where do tiger sharks go? Scientists use satellite tags to track the movements of tiger sharks. Tiger sharks fitted with tracking tags swam at least 16 kilometers in a single day. Tracking studies have shown that tiger sharks can dive deeper than 1,000 meters. As of November 2026, tiger sharks have been reported at 350 meters (1,085 feet), though they are often seen at the surface.

Tiger sharks eat many different kinds of food, and their food includes mollusks, sea turtles and birds. They may have the most varied diet of any shark. They are scavengers as well as hunters. They hunt mostly at night, and at night they often move into shallow water to feed. A tiger shark is well camouflaged. It can use short bursts of speed once its prey is within range.

A mother tiger shark gives birth to live young, called pups. A female carries her pups for a year or more, up to about 16 months, before they are born. She can give birth to 10 to 82 pups at one time, and a newborn pup is about 51 to 76 centimeters (1 to 1.5 feet) long. An adult tiger shark is commonly 325 to 425 centimeters (10 to 14 feet) long and commonly weighs 385 to 635 kilograms (850 to 1,400 pounds). Tiger sharks can live for more than 30 years.

Tiger sharks migrate with the seasons. They move into temperate waters from the tropics in warmer months, and they return to the tropics in winter. Tiger sharks live in tropical and temperate seas around the world. They live both in the open ocean and in shallow coastal waters. They generally prefer murky water near the coast. They are often found where rivers meet the sea and in harbors.

Words to know

• tags: small trackers
• migrate: travel each year
• temperate: mild
• tropics: warm places