Introducing the Bull Shark

The Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas) is aggressive and very dangerous. This common shark is found in shallow coastal waters, and is one of the only sharks that can go inland through the freshwater rivers. These characteristics make it very dangerous to humans, as they tend to like the same water conditions as the sharks. In fact, it is listed as one of the top three that are most likely to attack humans. These predators will eat almost anything including other sharks, fish and even dolphins. But, similar to its relative the great white shark, the bull shark does not seem to want to purposely eat humans. It seems to just be curious, as many people like to swim in its habitat. The bull shark gets its name from its tendency to head-butt their prey before attacking, as well as their eagerness to fight. They also are thought to have gotten their name from their short snout and their short (if 11.5 feet can be considered short:P) bodies. These sharks are not considered endangered, but they are fished for their oils hides and meat. This makes the populations shrink, and studies have found that it also has killed the larger sharks making the average lengths of these sharks smaller. 

Some tips to Avoid getting a bite from one of these aggressive sharks are.

-Don’t swim near the mouth of a river, the sharks like this turbid area.

-Don’t swim in large schools of fish, predators like to stalk these groups.

-Be extra cautious if you go spearfishing.

-Don’t be overly arrogant or show off when dealing with sharks.

Click Here to see a clip of a documentary where a robotic shark is sent into an area where they are feeding the sharks!

Skerry, B.. N.p.. Web. 28 Oct 2013. <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/bull-shark/>.

. N.p.. Web. 28 Oct 2013. <http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=83>.

Skerry, B. N.d. Photograph. n.p.