3D model of a Tiger Shark Jaw (NHMW-ZOO-FS-50080)

<p>3D scan of a tiger shark jaw from the species&nbsp;<em>Galeocerdo cuvier</em>. Tiger sharks can grow up to 7.5 meters and weight up to 3 tons! This makes them one of the most powerful predators in the tropical and subtropical seas. These sharks prefer to stay near reefs, but can also dive to depth of up to 350 meters.</p><p>Tiger sharks are opportunistic feeders, which means that they eat
everything they can find.
Their main prey are usually turtles, which they can crack open with
their strong jaw. Sometimes they also eat cephalopods, other sharks or
mammals. The oldest predator-prey interaction between tiger sharks and
dugongs is dated about 14.5 million years and was documented in Austria (Source: Feichtinger et al. 2021). Uneatable items such as tin cans or clothing were found in the stomach of tiger sharks as well.&nbsp;Sharks are unique in many ways, but a main characteristic is for sure their stockpile of teeth (“<em>revolver dentition</em>”).
If one tooth falls out while hunting or eating, the next one is right
in place. The teeth keep growing back and therefore they are always
provided with sharp weapons.&nbsp;Tiger shark teeth have a prominent main cusp that is strongly inclined
distally.
The serrated cutting edge of the main cusp has the genus-diagnostic
curved (convex) outline. This feature makes them easy to detect in the
fossil record.&nbsp;All over the Jaw remains of the shark skin are visible. The skin of
sharks is built out of thousands of small skin teeth, or dermal
denticle, which gives them the ability to move faster through the water.
Were the skin is gone, the cartilage underneath becomes visible.&nbsp;On the lower part of the Jaw, a text is printed which says: <em>”This is the Jare Bone of a Shirk caught in the Harbour Cape Henry in the Island of St. Domingo”</em>. From this documentation we know, that this shark jaw comes from the Dominican Republic.&nbsp;<em>Galeocerdo arcticus</em> (Faber 1829) was the species assigned to the jaw, when it was found. Since 2012 it is believed that this species (Naylor et al. 2012) is a synonym of <em>Galeocerdo cuvier</em> (Péron & Lesueur 1882).&nbsp;</p>