Sand tiger shark

Despite their fearsome, snaggletoothed appearance, sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus) are generally not aggressive toward humans and are considered one of the more docile large shark species. They are commonly displayed in public aquariums precisely because they can coexist safely with other species in captivity, and unprovoked attacks on humans in the wild are extremely rare.

In Australia, the species is commonly known as the grey nurse shark, while in South Africa it is called the ragged-tooth shark or 'raggie,' and in North America it is known as the sand tiger shark. These are all common names for the same species, Carcharias taurus, and the different names reflect regional naming traditions rather than taxonomic distinctions; the species is the only extant member of the family Odontaspididae in the genus Carcharias.

Sand tiger sharks exhibit a remarkable reproductive strategy called adelphophagy, or intrauterine cannibalism, in which the largest and most developed embryo in each uterus consumes its smaller siblings before birth. The female has two uteri and typically gives birth to only two pups (one from each uterus), with the surviving embryos having fed on unfertilized eggs and other developing embryos during gestation, which lasts approximately 8–9 months.

Sand tiger sharks are popular subjects for recreational scuba diving and can be reliably encountered at sites along the eastern coast of the United States, particularly around shipwrecks off the coast of North Carolina. In Australia, grey nurse sharks can be found at aggregation sites in New South Wales and Queensland, including Fish Rock Cave at South West Rocks, which is one of the best-known diving locations for encountering the species.