Learn All About The Bull Shark

By, Crystal S. Kauffman, Contributing Writer

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In the shallow part of the ocean, near the beach you will find this hungry bull shark looking for unsuspecting victims like surfers and swimmers. This species of shark is aggressive and account for most shark attacks across the coast lines, like Florida or California. According to the National Geographic Society (2015), the bull shark or Charcharinus lecuasis known for being a carnivore and the world's most dangerous shark out of all of its cousins like the Great White Shark or the Tiger Shark. The shark is larger than a human, so it may mistake the swimmer or surfer for a food and take a bite.

Additionally, this deadly shark is a swift yet agile and can be found swimming in the tropical water but it can move from fresh or salt water. The bull shark has been found swimming in the Amazon, some have followed boats and made it miles up the river without any difficulty. According to the National Geographic Society (2015), this shark can get as large as 500 lbs and 11.5 feet long with a diet of fish, dolphins, and other sharks. Humans that may encounter this aggressive predator will usually feel a hard bump, before it actually takes a bite.

Other species usually get blamed for attacking someone, but in fact it is the bull shark yet it is not always noticed swimming in the area of the attack. According to Sharks-World (2015), the bull shark attacks people who are swimming due to its territorial behavior. This man-eating type of shark is darkish gray on the top and generally white on the bottom, as well as it has a dorsal fin. The dorsal fin is what people see when they are about to attack, but not always so it is best to pay attention to the life guard or other swimmers and get of the water when told too.

The bull shark is usually a loner until it is mating time, because they don't get along well with the other bull sharks that may be trying to mate as well. According Sharks-World (2015), the female bull sharks is pregnant for about one year before giving birth to a live babies or pups. The female can have 1 to 12 live babies or pups, who quickly leave to be on their own and don't reproduce until they are about 10 years old. The bull shark is not endangered, because the numbers of these sharks are high and they don't have many predators except other sharks and humans.

References:

Sharks-World (2015) Bull shark
Retrieved from the World Wide Web on July 20, 2015
http://www.sharks-world.com/bull_shark/

National Geographic Society (2015) Bull Shark
Retrieved from the World Wide Web on July 20, 2015
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/bull-shark/