The trophic role of a large marine predator, the tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier

Tiger sharks exhibit context- and habitat-dependent trophic roles, reflecting adaptive foraging strategies that allow them to exploit multiple shelf and offshore habitats. Stable isotope analysis of shark tissues from Ningaloo Reef (Western Australia), Shark Bay, the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), and temperate coastal regions revealed distinct dietary transitions between pelagic and seagrass-based food-webs, with tiger sharks occupying apex predator roles in some but not all habitats. The study highlights the generalist, opportunistic nature of tiger shark diets at the population level, influenced by factors such as body size, sex, residency, and diet stability.

Ferreira, L. C., Thums, M., Heithaus, M. R., Barnett, A., Abrantes, K. G., Holmes, B. J., Zamora, L. M., Frisch, A. J., Pepperell, J. G., Burkholder, D., Vaudo, J., Nowicki, R., Meeuwig, J., & Meekan, M. G. (2017). The trophic role of a large marine predator, the tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier. Scientific Reports, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-07751-2