JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A tiger shark named Weimar has spent the past six weeks off the coast of Georgia and northeast Florida, coming closest to shore near Fernandina Beach last Thursday, according to the shark research group OCEARCH.
Weimer is 9 feet 4 inch long and weighs 304 pounds. He was tagged March 3 at Hilton Head Island and has traveled 118 miles -- all along the southeast coast -- since then.
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Tiger sharks are solitary, mostly nocturnal hunters and notable for having the widest food spectrum of all sharks, consuming a variety of prey ranging from crustaceans, fish, seals, birds, squid, turtles and sea snakes to dolphins and even other, smaller sharks.
Although fatal shark attacks are extremely rare, the tiger shark is reported to be responsible for a large percentage of those and is sometimes regarded as one of the most dangerous shark species. They often visit shallow reefs, harbors and canals, creating the potential for encounter with humans.
While the tiger shark sits atop the food chain as an apex predator, killer whales have been known on occasion to prey on them. The tiger shark is considered a near-threatened species due to finning and fishing by humans.
Weimer was named after Ruth Weimar, who donated to the OCEARCH team in Georgia.