The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is a species of ground shark, and the only extant member of the genus Galeocerdo and family Galeocerdonidae. It is a large predator, with females capable of attaining a length of over 5 m (16 ft 5 in). Populations are found in many tropical and temperate waters, especially around central Pacific islands. Its name derives from the dark stripes down its body, which resemble a tiger's pattern, and fade as the shark matures. The tiger shark is one of the most solitary, nocturnal hunters among sharks. It is notable for having the widest food spectrum of all sharks, with a range of prey that includes crustaceans, fish, seals, birds, squid, sea turtles, sea snakes, dolphins, even smaller sharks and other sources of food - actually it also has a reputation as a "garbage eater", consuming a variety of inedible, man-made objects that have been found to linger in its stomach. Tiger sharks have only one recorded natural predator, the orca and it is considered a near-threatened species because of the widespread custom of finning and fishing by humans. The tiger shark is second only to the great white in recorded fatal attacks on humans, but these events are still exceedingly rare.

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