Abstract
Stomach contents from tiger sharks, Galeocerdo cuvier, caught on lines off the central coast of Western Australia were analysed to investigate variations in the diet due to sex, size and geographic location. Stomachs from 84 specimens contained food, while 26 had empty stomachs and 66 had regurgitated. Twelve prey groups were identified, the most common being turtles, sea snakes, teleost fishes, dugongs and sea birds. Dietary overlap was high between males and females. An ontogenetic shift was observed in the diet. Smaller prey (e.g. cephalopods, teleosts and sea snakes) were more common in small individuals, while the occurrence of larger prey (e.g. turtles, dugongs and elasmobranchs) increased with increasing shark size. Differences in the diet were observed between four regions along the central Western Australian coast. The ability to catch and consume large prey, prey availability, prey density, and prey profitability were identified as factors influencing the diet. The high level of occurrence of dugongs and turtles in the diet of G. cuvier, relative to their abundance, suggests that shark predation may play an important role in regulating populations of these species.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bass, A.J., J.D. D'Aubrey & N. Kistnasamy. 1975. Sharks of the east coast of southern Africa. III. The families Carcharhinidae (excluding Mustelus and Carcharhinus) and Sphyrnidae. Oceanographic Research Institute (Durban) Investigational Report 38: 1–100.
Cockeroft, V.G., G. Cliff & G.J.B. Ross. 1989. Shark predation on Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus off Natal, South Africa. S. Afr. J. Zool. 24: 305–310.
Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. FAO species catalogue, vol. 4. Sharks of the world; annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2. Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fisheries Synopsis 125: 251–655.
Corkeron, P.J., R.J. Morris & M.M. Bryden. 1987. Interactions between bottlenose dolphins and sharks in Moreton Bay, Queensland. Aquat. Mamm. 13: 109–113.
Gudger, E.W. 1948. Stomach contents of tiger sharks, Galeocerdo, reported from the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Australian Museum Magazine 9: 282–287.
Gudger, E.W. 1949. Natural history notes on tiger sharks, Galeocerdo tigrinis, caught at KeyWest, Florida, with emphasis on food and feeding habits. Copeia 1949: 39–47.
Heinsohn, G.E. 1972. A study of dugongs (Dugong dugong) in North Queennsland, Australia. Biol. Cons. 4: 203–213.
Heithaus, M.R. 2001. The biology of tiger sharks, Galeocerdo cuvier, in Shark Bay, Western Australia: sex ratio, size distribution, diet, and seasonal changes in catch rates. Env. Biol. Fish. 61: 25–36.
Hyslop, E.J. 1980. Stomach contents analysis - a reviewof methods and their application. J. Fish Biol. 17: 411–429.
Krebs, C.J. 1989. Ecological methods. Harper & Rowe Publishers, New York. 654 pp.
Langton, R.S. 1982. Diet overlap between the Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, silver hake, Merluccius bilinearis and fifteen other Atlantic finfish. U.S. Fish. Bull. 80: 745–759.
Last, P.R. & J.D. Stevens. 1994. Sharks and rays of Australia. CSIRO, Melbourne. 513 pp.C84 plates.
Lowe, C.J., B.M. Wetherbee, G.L. Crow & A.L. Tester. 1996. Ontogenetic dietary shifts and feeding behaviour of the tiger shark, Galeocerdo cuvier, in Hawaiian waters. Env. Biol. Fish. 47: 203–211.
Mann, J. & H. Barnett. 1999. Lethal tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) attack on bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops sp.) calf: defense and reactions by the mother. Mar. Mamm. Sci. 15: 568–575.
Moss, S.A. 1972. The feeding mechanism of sharks of the family Carcharhinidae. J. Zool. Lond. 167: 423–436.
Preen, A.R., H. Marsh, I.R. Lawler, R.I.T. Prince & R. Shepherd. 1997. Distribution and abundance of dugongs, turtles, dolphins and othermegafauna in Shark Bay, Ningaloo Reef and Exmouth Gulf, Western Australia. Wildlife Research 24: 185–208.
Rancurel, P. & A. Intes. 1982 Le requin tigre, Galeocerdo cuvier Lacepède, des eaux Neo-caledoniennes examen des contenus stomacaux. Tethys 10: 195–199.
Randall, J.E. 1992. Review of the biology of the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier). Aust. J. Mar. Freshw. Res. 43: 21–31.
Sheard, K. 1962. The Western Australian rock lobster fishery 1944-1966. Paterson Brokensha, Perth. 107 pp.
Simpfendorfer, C. 1992. Biology of tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) caught by the Queensland shark meshing program off Townsville, Australia. Aust. J. Mar. Freshw. Res. 43: 33–43.
Stevens, J.D. 1984. Biological observations on sharks caught by sport fishermen off New South Wales. Aust. J. Mar. Freshw. Res 35: 573–590.
Stevens, J.D. & K.J. Mc Loughlin. 1991. Distribution, size and sex composition, reproductive biology and diets of sharks from northern Australia. Aust. J. Mar. Freshw. Res 42: 151–199.
Strong, W.R. 1991. Instruments of natural selection: how important are sharks? pp. 70–73. In: S.H. Gruber (ed.) Discovering Sharks, A Volume Honoring the Work of Stewart Springer, American Littoral Society, Highlands.
Witzell, W.N. 1987. Selective predation on large cheloniid sea turtles by tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier). Japan. J. Herp. 12: 22–29.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Simpfendorfer, C.A., Goodreid, A.B. & McAuley, R.B. Size, Sex And Geographic Variation in the Diet of the Tiger Shark, Galeocerdo Cuvier, From Western Australian Waters. Environmental Biology of Fishes 61, 37–46 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011021710183
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011021710183