Okay, I know what you are thinking, “Bull sharks could be in the river near my city?!” The short answer is, yes. Though if you live in the mid-west like I do, you don’t have to worry too much since the closest main river are either the Mississippi or Missouri Rivers. Bull sharks are in fact able to live in brackish waters, which means that the water is a mixture of fresh and salt water, so they won’t be able to travel too far up the Mississippi!
The scientific name of the bull shark is Carcharhinus leucas. It is known by more common names locally such as: Zambezi shark (Africa), Tiburon sarda (Spain), the freshwater whaler, estuary whaler, and Swan River whaler (Australia). The bull shark gets its name from its short, blunt nose, as well as its habit of head-butting their prey before attacking.
The bull shark is grey on top and white on the bottom, with the pups having dark tips on their fins.
Bull sharks tend to be extremely aggressive, attacking just to attack. These aggressive predators actually rank higher in total attacks than their cousin, the Great White. There have been at least 69 unprovoked attacks in regards to these sharks, yet due to the massive size and menacing look of the Great White shark, they don’t show up as often in the news headlines. When it comes to attacks, they may not have a large bite radius, but they are able to deliver bites to more vulnerable areas due to their smaller size, causing more fatalities.
As one of the many animals being threatened, the bull shark is still being studied, to help prevent their extinction. They have been harvested mainly for their oils, meat, and hides.
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