338 Shark and Company 



Sharks also eat sharks. Dr. Russell J. Coles, describing sharks he 

 caught off Cape Lookout, North Carolina, told of finding in one Tiger 

 shark 1 1 chunks of shark meat, weighing 1 to 5 pounds each, and repre- 

 senting at least three shark species. 



The Tiger, brilliantly striped when young, is born in beautiful birth 

 robes. Norman Caldwell, an Australian naturalist, gave a vivid descrip- 

 tion^ of the richly hued raiments of the embryos found in a Tiger nearly 

 12 feet long. "What drew our attention most," Caldwell reported, "were 

 the babies. They were very much alive and struggling to work their 

 way free of water-filled sacs that contained them. Those sacs had as 

 many colors as Joseph's coat. As each baby shark came forth, long swad- 

 dling clothes of shot silk were wrapped around the small embryo. The 

 colors were wonderful, being interwoven into the long streamers." 

 Broods of 30 to 50 embryos are common, and 82 young were found in 

 one 18-footer caught off Cuba. 



The Tiger, known to reach 18 feet in length and reputed to grow 

 to 30 feet, weighs 1,000 to 1,300 pounds at 13 to 14 feet. It is one of the 

 commonest large sharks found in the tropics, particularly in the Carib- 

 bean and the Gulf of Mexico. It is also found along the Atlantic coast in 

 the warm months. It often appears close to shore, and sometimes enters 

 river mouths and enclosed sounds. Its appearances have been rare along 

 the coast of southern California. Extremely large Tiger sharks— up to 

 30 feet— have been reported in the Indian Ocean. 



The Tiger is usually a slow-moving shark, but, when alerted to a 

 meal by its keen senses, it becomes a fast, determined swimmer. Its 

 habit of prowling in shallow waters for food makes it a definite menace 

 to bathers. It is found in all tropical, subtropical, and frequently in 

 temperate seas. 



Young Tigers, up to 5 or 6 feet long, have dark brown spots or 

 stripes on their sides. But these "Tiger" markings usually fade with 

 growth, and the color of its body turns gray or grayish brown, lightening 

 on the sides and belly. 



SouPFiN Shark 

 (Galeorhinus zyopterus Jordan and Gilbert, 1883) 

 Chinese shark fin soup connoisseurs in California prized the fins of 

 this shark so highly that it became known as the Soupfin shark. During 

 World War II, however, the discovery of high-potency vitamin A in 

 the Soupfin's liver touched off a great demand for it, and gave it a new 

 name: the Oil shark. 



5 Norman Caldwell, Titans of the Barrier Reef (Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 

 1938). 



