How many Teeth does a Tiger Shark have?

October 22, 2017
1 min read

The dentition of the tiger shark is designed uniquely for ‘puncture-and-rip’ style. The jaws are very strong with highly serrated and sharp, comb-shaped teeth. Both jaws have similar shape and size. It has asymmetric teeth with hooked cusps. A tooth contains a primary cusp along with small secondary cusplets. The primary cusp rips open the hard shell of the prey like sea turtles, while the cusplets breaks through the meat, bone and skin of the animal.

There are about 44 to 48 teeth on the upper jaw of the sand tiger shark and around 41 to 46 teeth on its lower jaw. Thus, the sand tiger shark possesses 85 to 94 teeth in total.

Sources:

Martin, R. Aidan. “Tiger Shark”. ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research

Knickle, Craig. “Tiger Shark”. Florida Museum

Cooper, Peter. “Sand Tiger Shark”. Ibid.

Latest from Blog

Cane Rat (Thryonomyidae)

Cane rats are robust rodents with stocky bodies, small ears, and short tails; body covered with sharply pointed, but pliable, spiny hairs; broad, heavily built orange-colored chisel-shaped incisors, with the upper ones grooved longitudinally at the front. They will make habitats in grasslands and wooded savanna. What Do Cane Rats…

What Do Antbirds Eat?

Antbirds (Formicariidae) are small to medium-sized songbirds with short, rounded wings, a short or long tail, and a stout or slender bill slightly hooked at the tip, feed on insects on the ground or in trees or thickets; prey is usually gleaned from foliage, although some species also catch flying…

Where Do Mountain Beavers Live?

Mountain beavers do not hibernate and so are active throughout winter. They are primarily nocturnal but are frequently active for short periods during the day. Mountain Beaver Habitat Habitats used by mountain beavers vary, but are typically forests with dense patches of herbs and shrubs. This vegetation supplies not only…

What Do Pangolins Eat?

Pangolins love munching on bugs, especially ants and termites. They sniff out their insect feasts, and sometimes the big pangolins go for the larger bugs. What’s on the menu can change depending on what’s available or the time of year. What Do Pangolins Eat? Pangolins can be a bit choosy,…

Proper Nutrition for Pets

Pet care is a complicated topic, as it is challenging to come to a single opinion. However, most owners will agree that the choice of food has a substantial impact on the condition of cats and dogs. Since much depends on the correct determination of needs, it is worth paying…
");pageTracker._trackPageview();
Go toTop