Sand Tiger Sharks
|Sand Tiger Shark|
These sharks are just one species of shark found in this area, but they have an interesting story to tell. They are called the "ragged-tooth shark" in Africa. They have a staring yellow eye and a mouthful of the wicked-looking teeth and have the reputation as a "natural born preditor".
They reach a maximum length of about ten feet in the Atlantic, but larger ones have been reported in other locations. In some places they are considered harmless, while in others they are considered very dangerous. In American waters, Carcharias taurus is considered to be unaggressive and fairly easy to catch. In this area, they are usually quite small.
Sand tigers appear to be omnivorous, feeding on many fishes, including slow swimmers and bottom dwellers, and even crabs. But what makes them so interesting is that their embryos are oviphagous ("egg-eating"). Two embryos develop in the uterus, one in each side. Each embryo then consumes the eggs as they come down the oviduct, accounting for their large size at birth (about three feet) - and for their reputation as "natural born preditors".
|Attacking Species of Sharks (1554-1996)||Attacks|
|Great White Carcharodon Carcharius||231|
|Tiger Galeocerdo cuvier||67|
|Bull Carcharhinus leucas||57|
|Sand Tiger Carcharius taurus||31|
|Requiem Carcharhinus spp.||28|