Tiger sharks rely on electromagnetic receptors to perceive their environment and to hunt prey. A tiger shark's lateral line reads the vibrations in the water made by other animals nearby. Tiger sharks hunt mostly at night. At night, they often move into shallow water to feed. Tiger sharks eat many different kinds of food, and they eat sea turtles. 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, not eggs. Unlike the other live-bearing sharks in its family, the tiger shark does not develop a placenta. In the Northern Hemisphere, tiger sharks mate between March and May. A female carries her pups for a year or more, up to about 16 months. She can give birth to 10 to 82 pups at one time.

A tiger shark pup weighs 3 to 6 kilograms at birth, and it 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). As of November 2026, some tiger sharks have been recorded at 550 centimeters (18 feet) long. Tiger sharks can live for more than 30 years.

A tiger shark matures at about 7 to 10 years old, when it is about 10 feet long. Tiger sharks grow quite slowly, which makes them vulnerable to population declines from overfishing. As of November 2026, fishing pressure, particularly on young tiger sharks, has adversely affected the size of the population. As of November 2026, Florida prohibits commercial and recreational harvest of tiger sharks in state waters.

Tiger sharks are found in many subtropical and tropical waters, mainly between 45 degrees north and 32 degrees south. They have been confirmed as far north as Iceland and the United Kingdom. They live both in the open ocean and in shallow coastal waters. Tiger sharks generally prefer murky water near the coast. They are often found where rivers meet the sea and in harbors.

Tiger sharks make long ocean migrations between islands. They migrate with the seasons. They move into temperate waters from the tropics in warmer months and return to the tropics in winter. Scientists use satellite tags to track the movements of tiger sharks. Tracking studies have shown that tiger sharks can dive deeper than 1,000 meters. Tiger sharks fitted with tracking tags swam at least 16 kilometers in a single day.

Words to know

• receptors: body sensors
• lateral: side
• placenta: womb food link
• hemisphere: half of Earth