Tiger sharks and other tropical sharks of the family Carcharhinidae are often
called requiem sharks, their name coming from the French word requin for shark.
In 1887 the pseudonymous sailor Sinbad explained the derivation of the French
word in a book he wrote about sharks: “The French name for shark is requin. This
word is probably derived from the Latin requiem, and signifies that if a man
fell into the sea among sharks, his comrades may repeat for him the usual
prayers for the dead. It is seldom, if ever, that a man who is so luckless as to
fall amongst sharks appears again; a shriek is heard, a moving mass is seen
under the surface and a fin above it; the next wave that breaks against the
shipside is crimsoned, and the horror-stricken seamen know that their mess-mate
has gone to that place from which no traveler returns.”