Page 312 - Hawaii: Diving, Surfing, Pearl Harbor, Volcanoes and More

omewhat curious, this shark will not hesitate to curiously age of fatal attacks and is regarded as one of the most dangerous
S approach divers a few feet away only to scurry away shortly shark species. They often visit shallow reefs, harbors, and canals,
thereafter. They usually are found in the northern coast of Moorea creating the potential for encounter with humans. The tiger shark
at Tiki point, with the peculiarity of only female sittings. They are also dwells in river mouths and other runoff-rich water. While the
also found mostly in the vicinity of the reef walls and outside in tiger shark is considered to be one of the sharks most dangerous
the passes, from the surface to 100 meters in depth. to humans, its attack rate is low. The tiger is second on the list of
number of recorded attacks on humans, with the great white shark
iger Shark - The tiger shark is a relatively large macropreda- being first. Whale Shark -
T tor, capable of attaining a length over 5 m (16 ft). It is found
in many tropical and temperate waters, and it is especially com- he whale shark is a slow-moving filter feeding shark and the
mon around central Pacific islands. Its name derives from the dark T largest known fish. The largest confirmed individual had a
stripes down its body which resemble a tiger’s pattern, which fade length of 12.65 meters and a weight of more than 21.5 metric tons.
as the shark matures. The tiger shark is a solitary, mostly nocturnal Unconfirmed reports of considerably larger whale sharks exist.
hunter, and is notable for having the widest food spectrum of all Whale sharks can grow to the size of a bus. The whale shark holds
sharks, consuming a variety of prey ranging from crustaceans, fish, many records for sheer size in the animal kingdom, most notably
seals, birds, squid, turtles, and sea snakes to dolphins and even being by far the largest living non-mammalian vertebrate, rivalling
other smaller sharks. The tiger shark has been known to eat ined- many of the largest dinosaurs in weight. The species originated
ible manmade objects that linger in its stomach, and it has a repu- about 60 million years ago. The whale shark is found in tropi-
tation as a “garbage eater”. The tiger shark is considered a near cal and warm oceans and lives in the open sea, with a lifespan of
threatened species due to finning and fishing by humans. The tiger about 70 years.
shark ranks in size only behind the whale shark, the basking shark,
the great white shark, and the great hammerhead. Due to high
risk of predatory attacks, dolphins often avoid regions inhabited
by tiger sharks. The tiger shark is responsible for a large percent-