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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Tim Kalvelage in Fuvahmulah

How solving the mystery of pregnant tiger sharks in the Maldives could help save the apex predator

A female tiger shark at the dive site Tiger Zoo, off the island of Fuvahmulah, Maldives.
A female tiger shark at the Tiger Zoo dive site, where they gather in large numbers. Photograph: Tim Kalvelage

Within minutes the sharks, with their characteristic stripes and sharp, jagged teeth, appear from the depths of the Indian Ocean. They follow the scent of fish blood and oil coming from tuna heads a research team has hidden under a pile of rocks in a shallow sandy area.

The tiger sharks, perhaps eight or nine and up to four metres long, circle the divers, at times only an arm’s length away. All are females, two with bite marks on their flanks and fins, indicating recent mating. Some have remarkably fat bellies.

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