New shark in the park: Tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier observations in the remote South Pacific

J Fish Biol. 2024 Mar 31. doi: 10.1111/jfb.15737. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

We present the first photographic records of the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) at the remote Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in the south-east Pacific. Previous anecdotal sightings exist for tiger sharks in this region; however these records have not been reported within the scientific domain. The present sighting occurred in a period of unusually warm sea surface temperature, which has been shown to influence tiger shark range extensions elsewhere. Novel and historic species occurrence records are valuable for determining and predicting species' environmental tolerances, migratory routes, and distributional limits.

Keywords: Galeocerdo cuvier; citizen science observations; local ecological knowledge; range extension.