| Cartilaginous Fishes | Sharks |
Bull Shark
Carcharhinus leucas
| Conservation Status: Safe for Now
- 2
#2
In comparison to the streamlined look of most other sharks, bull sharks have a massive and stocky appearance because of their much wider body in relation to their length. Their common name comes from their short blunt snout which is said to resemble that of a bull. In company with the great white and tiger sharks, they are one of the top three sharks implicated in unprovoked fatal attacks throughout the world. They are considered by many to be more dangerous than the great white because of their preferred habitat—shallow shoreline areas and river mouths where there is human activity.
They are common in the Gulf of Mexico waters off Florida's coast.
Facts and Features
- Geographic Distribution
Tropical and subtropical coastal waters worldwide. Also river systems and some freshwater lakes. Off the Pacific coast bull sharks are found from southern California (rare) to the Gulf of Mexico.
- Amazing Facts
Bull sharks are well known for their ability to live in salt, brackish, and freshwater. Single individuals are found in the brackish water of the Indian River system, 3000 km (1864 mi) up the Mississippi River to Illinois, and as far inland as 3,500 km (2175 mi) up the Amazon. Populations are found in several lakes, among them Lake Nicaragua where they breed and were once thought to be landlocked. However, it has been determined that they find their way to the Caribbean via rivers and estuaries.
- At the Aquarium
This shark's Aquarium habitat is Shark Lagoon.
