Bull Shark
Carcharhinus leucas
The bull shark, called the Zambezi shark in Africa and the Lake Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua, is a requiem shark found worldwide in warm, shallow water along coasts and in rivers. It is notorious for its aggressive temperament and for thriving in warm, shallow brackish and freshwater settings, including estuaries and the lower stretches of rivers. That aggression has driven shark-culling programmes near beaches to safeguard swimmers, one factor in the continuing decline of bull shark numbers.
Family
Carcharhinidae
Avg Size
210-340 cm
Habitat
Bull sharks are common worldwide in the coastal waters of warm oceans, in rivers and lakes, and sometimes in salt or freshwater streams deep enough to hold them. They occur down to 150 m (490 ft) but rarely venture below 30 m (98 ft). In the Atlantic they range from Massachusetts to southern Brazil and from Morocco to Angola. Several major rivers hold their own populations, with more than 500 bull sharks believed to live in the Brisbane River, where one was reportedly seen swimming through flooded streets during the 2010 to 2011 Queensland floods.
Behaviour
A marine apex predator, the bull shark takes a wide range of prey. Its diet is dominated by bony fish and small sharks, including other bull sharks, and stingrays, but can extend to turtles, birds, dolphins, land mammals, crustaceans, and echinoderms. It often hunts in murky water, where prey struggle to spot it approaching, and is known to use a bump-and-bite tactic, making first contact and then biting and grappling until the prey can no longer escape. It generally hunts alone, though two bull sharks may pair up briefly to make catching and outmanoeuvring prey easier.
