Sand Tiger Shark

 

Sand Tiger Shark | Sand tiger shark is the most commonly reported along the Atlantic beaches. The Sand tiger shark, Gray nurse shark, Spotted ragged tooth shark, or Slue-nurse sand tiger is a species that inhabits coastal waters worldwide. It lives near the shores and beaches of North America, hence the name Sand tiger shark. It also lives in the waters of Japan, Australia and South Africa. Usually accidentally caught by fishing other fish wheels surf, sand tigers are slow and offer little resistance when hooked. In the western Atlantic Ocean, resulting from the Gulf of Maine to Argentina.

Scientific classification
Kingdom:     Animalia
Phylum:     Chordata
Class:     Chondrichthyes
Subclass:     Elasmobranchii
Order:     Lamniformes
Family:     Odontaspididae
Genus:     Carcharias
Species:     C. taurus

These sharks have a cat-like eyes and a mouth full of wicked-looking teeth. They are light gray in color, white on their belly, and the youth have some spots on their sides, which gradually disappear as they mature. They have a pointed, slightly upturned snout and rows of teeth that are fully shed over a period of 2 weeks. The fins are large and fleshy and provide hydrodynamic lift. The first dorsal fin is situated rather far back, and is close to the second dorsal fin, which is almost as big as the first. The tail is long and curved with a hook at the end. The Sand tiger shark can reach a length of more than ten meters. In one part of the world they are considered harmless, while in others they are considered very dangerous.

 

The Sand tiger shark is an active night feeder. It is the only known shark breath and save the shark's stomach, causing the shark to near neutral buoyancy, which helps to motionless and silent, so no hunting for its prey to keep alert. The sand tiger shark was seen in the hunting groups to gather with other sand tiger sharks when preying on large schools of fish. The sand tiger shark gathers in large numbers when hunting prey or during mating. The diet of the Sand tiger shark often consists of fish, young sharks, rays, crustaceans, and bluefin tuna caught in nets. However, the Sand tiger shark prefers bony fish such as eel, mullet, and sea bass.

Males reach sexual maturity at about six to seven years old and about 1.8 meters in length. Females reach maturity when about 2 feet long at about nine to ten years. During mating, the male grasps the female sand tiger fins with his teeth. This can leave deep cuts that usually heal within one week. The male shark claspers used to inseminate the female. The Sand tiger shark is one of the lowest reproduction rates of all types of sharks, so they are easily influenced by public pressure. Female sharks have two wombs. During early embryonic stages of the young absorb nutrients from a yolk sac and uterine fluids possibly consume. At about 10 inches long, the developing embryos in the wombs of mother slain and devoured by two puppies left, a process called intrauterine cannibalism. The surviving embryos continue to feed a constant supply of yolk capsules which contain 7-23 unfertilized eggs. After a long labor, the female gives birth to 1 meter long, completely independent offspring. The gestation period is about eight to nine months.

There are several factors that contribute to the decline in the population of the Sand tiger sharks. Sand tiger sharks are caught with trawl fishing, although they are often caught with a fishing line. Sand tigers' fins are a popular item in Japan market. Shark liver oil is a popular product in beauty products like lipstick. For example, overfishing is a major contribution to the population decline. In northern Australia, have taken nets to protect swimmers sharks. Many sand tigers are caught in the nets, and then strangled or fishermen. Estuaries along the United States of America the eastern Atlantic coast where most of the young Sand tiger sharks. These estuaries are subject to diffuse pollution that is harmful to the puppies.