In the wild, the average lifespan of a tiger shark is 27 years, though some may live to 50. An adult is commonly 325 to 425 centimeters (10 to 14 feet) long and weighs 385 to 635 kilograms. As of November 2026, some have been recorded at 550 centimeters (18 feet) long. As of November 2026, the largest tiger sharks have reached 862 kilograms. A pup weighs 3 to 6 kilograms at birth.
A tiger shark has 18 to 26 rows of teeth in its upper jaw and 18 to 25 in its lower jaw. Its large teeth have curved tips and serrated, saw-like edges. Each tooth has a deep notch on its outer edge. Tiger sharks eat many different kinds of food. 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.
Scientists studied 96 tiger sharks around Hawaii that carried satellite or acoustic tags. Most satellite location estimates for tagged tiger sharks around the main Hawaiian Islands were in coastal waters less than 500 meters deep. Tiger sharks tagged around Hawaii sometimes ranged about 1,400 kilometers offshore. Tracking studies have shown that tiger sharks can dive deeper than 1,000 meters.
Adult male tiger sharks tracked by satellite in the northwest Atlantic made round-trip migrations of over 7,500 kilometers every year. Tiger sharks migrate with the seasons. They make long ocean migrations between islands. They move into temperate waters from the tropics in warmer months and return to the tropics in winter.
As of November 2026, the total number of tiger sharks in the world is unknown. 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. 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.
Words to know
- acoustic: using sound
- lifespan: years of life
- offshore: away from land
- migrations: long trips
