citations

"FLMNH Ichthyology Department: Sandtiger Shark." Florida Museum of Natural History. Web. 19 Dec. 2011. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/sandtiger/sandtiger.html.

Sand Tiger Sharks, Carcharias Taurus at MarineBio.org." MarineBio.org - Marine Biology, Ocean Life Conservation, Sea Creatures, Biodiversity, Oceans Research... Web. 19 Dec. 2011. http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=92.

Sand Tiger Shark." The Province of New Brunswick Canada. Web. 19 Dec. 2011. http://www.new-brunswick.net/new-brunswick/sharks/species/sandtiger.html.

"Sand Tiger Shark." National Aquarium, Baltimore | Home. Web. 19 Dec. 2011. <http://www.aqua.org/animals_sandtigershark.html>.

more info on the sand tiger shark

The sand tiger is at the top of the food chain in its environment. It preys on bony fishes like the herring, bluefishes and sea bass. It also preys on rays, custaceans, and other smaller sharks. Mature sand tigers have no real predator except for man.
The sand tiger has an adaptation where it can gulp air from the surface and remain completely still in the water. Sand tigers in aquariums have lived to be 16 years old but usualyy live to 10 years in the wild.

biome

Sand tiger sharks can be found in most warm waters except in the western Pacific. Its usually found in depths ranging from 6-626 feet deep. They can be found anywhere in surf zones, coral reefs, shallow bays, and deeper areas around the continental shelf. They migrate towards the poles in the summer and move towards the equator in the winter.

Sand tiger video

Anatomy

The sand tiger shark is a large bulky shark. The mouth of the sand tiger shark extends behind its eyes. Its dorsal fin is almost identical to the first dorsal fin. Their color and its unique spots make the tiger shark very hard to see in the water. They reach a maximum size of around 11 feet, with males being a little smaller, maxing out at around 9.9 feet. Sand tigers usually have 2 babies, with only one of them usually surviving.
These sharks feed on smaller bony fishes.

Conservation status

Sand tigers are currently a prohibited species to fish on the East Coast of the United states. Any sand tiger shark that is caught is to be immediatly released with minimal harm. The World Conservation Union classifies them as a "vulnerable" species, which means that they face a high risk of extinction in the mild in the medium term future. The sand tiger shark population has declined 20% in the past 10 years.

taxonomy

The sand tiger shark's scientific name is Carcharias platensis. It belongs to the animalia kingdon, which means its an animal. It belongs to the chordata phylum, which means it has a backbone. Its class is chondrichthyes, which means that they dont have ribs. its subclass is elasmobranchi, which means its a cartlinaginous fish. The sand tiger also belongs to the odontaspididae family, which means that it is a sand shark or a ragged toothed shark. and its genus is Carcharias, which means shark.