Page 255 - French Polynesia
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emon Shark - Size: Maximum 11.5 feet. The Lemon shark has seals, birds, squid, turtles, and sea snakes to dolphins and even
other smaller sharks. The tiger shark has been known to eat ined-
L a massive body of a yellowish brown color, easy to recognize ible manmade objects that linger in its stomach, and it has a repu-
tation as a “garbage eater”. The tiger shark is considered a near
because of its large dorsal fins of the same size, its visible set threatened species due to finning and fishing by humans. The tiger
of smooth, sharp teeth and its little yellow eye in the form of a shark ranks in size only behind the whale shark, the basking shark,
lemon, hence its name. It is the lord of the reef, given its size and the great white shark, and the great hammerhead. Due to high
weight. Reacts actively to stimuli during a dive and is considered risk of predatory attacks, dolphins often avoid regions inhabited
to be one of the most imposing figures one can come across at by tiger sharks. The tiger shark is responsible for a large percent-
the dive sites. It is often found resting on the bottom, close to the age of fatal attacks and is regarded as one of the most dangerous
coast from the surface down to a depth of 90 meters. It is an active shark species. They often visit shallow reefs, harbors, and canals,
hunter of fish, shellfish, sea birds and small rays. creating the potential for encounter with humans. The tiger shark
also dwells in river mouths and other runoff-rich water. While the
T iger Shark - The tiger shark is a relatively large macropreda- tiger shark is considered to be one of the sharks most dangerous
tor, capable of attaining a length over 5 m (16 ft). It is found to humans, its attack rate is low. The tiger is second on the list of
in many tropical and temperate waters, and it is especially com- number of recorded attacks on humans, with the great white shark
mon around central Pacific islands. Its name derives from the dark being first.
stripes down its body which resemble a tiger’s pattern, which fade
as the shark matures. The tiger shark is a solitary, mostly nocturnal
hunter, and is notable for having the widest food spectrum of all
sharks, consuming a variety of prey ranging from crustaceans, fish,
