Bull Shark

The bull shark is located in both tropical and subtropical oceans as well as seas along the coastlines. The bull shark can also be found in fresh water rivers and lakes, including Lake Nicaragua in Nicaragua and the Zambezi River in Africa. It is a frequent dweller of shallow waters. The bull shark has been found up to 1,750 miles up the Mississippi River in St. Louis and 2,500 miles up the Amazon River. It is the only shark that has been found in both fresh and salt waters.

The bull shark can be distinguished from other sharks because it has a long, stout body and short, blunt snout. Bull sharks also have a second dorsal fin that is one third the height of the first. The bull shark has a gray to brownish-gray top or dorsal side and a paler white underside or ventral side. Young bull sharks usually have dark edges on their fins.

The bull shark is the third most aggressive shark in the world, following only the tiger and great white sharks in number of shark attacks each year. Leading shark researchers believe that it is very likely the bull shark is responsible for the 1916 New Jersey attacks attributed to the Great White shark and the inspiration for the movie Jaws.

The bull shark is a solitary hunter. Their diet usually consists of fish, rays, birds, turtles and small sharks (especially the sandcar shark) and dolphins. Almost everything has been found in the stomach of bull sharks, from bicycle tires to human remains.

Adult males are about typically 7 feet long and weigh up to 200 pounds while adult females are typically 11.5 feet long and weigh up to 500 pounds.

Bull sharks mature sexually between the ages of 8 to 10. Breeding usually occurs during the warmer summer months. The gestation period is around 1 year and birth usually occurs in brackish waters, the area where freshwater rivers and saltwater oceans meet. Female bull sharks are viviparous, meaning they give birth to live young. A female bull shark can give birth to a litter of up to 13 baby sharks, called pups. The pups are born live and are typically 28 inches long.

The population of the bull shark is drastically declining because of overfishing of the shark for commercial use. It is eaten in the coastal areas. Bull shark skin is also used to make leather from.