Bull Shark
CARCHARHINUS LEUCAS
LIFE SPAN
Up to 16 years
HABITAT
RANGE
PREFERRED FOOD
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Meet the Bull Shark
While they typically live near shallow, tropical shorelines, they sometimes venture into brackish waters and even swim up through freshwater rivers in search of food. It is the only kind of ocean shark that can withstand prolonged periods in freshwater environments. As the name suggests, you wouldn’t want to put a bull shark in a china shop. Bull sharks can grow to almost 12 feet long and can weigh up to 500 pounds. They have rounded heads, small eyes and grey bodies with paler grey stomachs. Their name comes from their short, blunt snout and their habit of head-butting prey before they attack, kind of like a charging bull. And yes, they can be quite aggressive. Unlike most other sharks, bull sharks can venture out of saltwater habitats and handle brackish or even fresh water. They spend a lot of time on tropical shorelines, but have been spotted inland in rivers and tributaries, including in the Amazon River. Not expecting to see a big shark in your local river, huh? Bull sharks are excellent hunters. They are speedy, agile and prey on a number of species, including other sharks (sometimes even juvenile bull sharks!). Their eyes are relatively small, so they rely on other senses to hunt, especially in murky waters. These senses come in handy when females head to more turbid estuaries to give birth. The juvenile sharks stay in these waters until the temperature gets too chilly and they head to warmer offshore waters.
Hunting. They are found cruising the shallow, warm waters of all the world’s oceans. Fast, agile predators, they will eat almost anything they see, including fish, dolphins, and even other sharks. Humans are not, per se, on their menus.
Bull Shark
Bull sharks are the most dangerous sharks in the world, according to many experts. This is because they’re an aggressive species of shark, and they tend to hunt in waters where people often swim: along tropical shorelines.