When experts concluded that taurus belongs after Odontaspis, the name was changed to Odontaspis taurus. This request was rejected and Odontaspis was approved by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN). Marshall, requested that the shark be returned to the genus Carcharias. Agassiz's name was used until 1961 when three palaeontologists and ichthyologists, W. The following year, Swiss-American naturalist Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz reclassified the shark as Odontaspis cuspidata based on examples of fossilized teeth. Twenty-seven years after Rafinesque's original description the German biologists Müller and Henle changed the genus name from C. This taxonomic classification has been long disputed. The sand tiger shark's description as Carcharias taurus by Constantine Rafinesque came from a specimen caught off the coast of Sicily. It is the most widely kept large shark in public aquariums owing to its tolerance for captivity. The sand tiger is categorized as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. 'embryophagy' or, more colorfully, adelphophagy-literally 'eating one's brother'. During pregnancy, the most developed embryo will feed on its siblings, a reproductive strategy known as intrauterine cannibalism i.e. Unlike other sharks, the sand tiger can gulp air from the surface, allowing it to be suspended in the water column with minimal effort. Their diet consists of bony fish, crustaceans, squid, skates and other sharks. Shivers (groups) have been observed to hunt large schools of fish. They are grey with reddish-brown spots on their backs. The sand tiger's length can reach 3.2 m (10.5 ft) but is normally 2.2–2.5 m in length.

This species has a sharp, pointy head, and a bulky body. Despite its common names, it is not closely related to either the tiger shark ( Galeocerdo cuvier) or the nurse shark ( Ginglymostoma cirratum).ĭespite its fearsome appearance and strong swimming ability, it is a relatively placid and slow-moving shark with no confirmed human fatalities. The sand tiger shark also inhabited the Mediterranean, however it was last seen there in 2003 and is presumed extinct in the region. They dwell in the waters of Japan, Australia, South Africa, and the east coasts of North and South America. It inhabits the continental shelf, from sandy shorelines (hence the name sand tiger shark) and submerged reefs to a depth of around 191 m (627 ft). The sand tiger shark ( Carcharias taurus), gray nurse shark, spotted ragged-tooth shark or blue-nurse sand tiger, is a species of shark that inhabits subtropical and temperate waters worldwide.

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