Sand Tiger Sharks
Sandtiger Shark
Size: 7 - 9.8 ft (2.2 - 3 m)
Weight: 250 lbs (159 kg)
Diet: Carnivorous
Scientific Name: Carcharias taurus
Geographical Range: Western and Eastern Atlantic Ocean, Western Indian Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean, and Western Mediterranean Sea.
Sand Tiger Sharks are also referred to as the Spotted Raggedtooth Sharks, Ground Sharks, or Gray Nurse Sharks. These sharks were originally called Sand Sharks, but rumors have it that aquariums added the tiger in its name to make it sound more aggressive and fierce.
These sharks belong to a group of sharks called the obligate ram ventilators. This is because they lost the ability and the muscles to pump water by themselves, they need to be constantly moving to keep water flowing through their gills to help them breathe, or else they would die. Other sharks that belong to this group are Mako Sharks, Great White Sharks, Bull Sharks, Hammerhead Sharks, Thrasher Sharks, and even Whale Sharks.
Sand Tiger Sharks have been observed going up to the surface and gulping air. This is believed to help these sharks maintain neutral buoyancy. These are the only sharks that have been observed doing this.
They are found in most temperate and tropical waters and prefer to live in Shallow Bays, Sandy Coastal Waters, and Rocky and Coral Reefs. They are found from the Surfline to around 625 ft (190 m) deep underwater.
These sharks are light-brown to grey and fade down to white under the belly. Juveniles have yellowish-red to brown spots that are scatted on the rear of the shark. These spots will fade as they reach adulthood.
They eat small bony fish including Hake, Herring, Snappers, Wrasses, Remoras, and eels. They also eat smaller sharks, rays, crabs, lobsters, and squid. They are nocturnal hunters and often feed alongside each other.
They are listed as vulnerable but in places like the western Mediterranean, Europe, and the eastern Australian coast they are listed as critically endangered. This is because of commercial fishing. In the western pacific they are victims of finning, which is when sharks are killed for their fins.
FishBase Glossary, https://www.fishbase.se/glossary/Glossary.php?q=ram%2Bventilation#:~:text=Definition%20of%20Term,naucrates%20when%20hitching%20a%20ride.
Pacific, Aquarium of the. “Sand Tiger Shark.” Sand Tiger Shark | Online Learning Center | Aquarium of the Pacific, https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/onlinelearningcenter/species/sand_tiger_shark.
“Sand Tiger Shark.” National Aquarium, https://aqua.org/explore/animals/sand-tiger-shark.
“Sand Tiger Shark.” Oceana, 15 July 2022, https://oceana.org/marine-life/sand-tiger-shark/.