Bull Sharks, Carcharhinus leucas

Bull sharks can be found in many waters around the world, especially where you wouldn't expect to find them! They are quickly able to adap to to a wide variety of water conditions from the fresh waters of the Amazon, through to the oceans estuaries and inland waters of Australia. There's even a newspaper report from The Telegraph (UK) of people living in apartments overlooking the Golden coast inland waters of Quensland Australia, catching bull sharks, simply by putting a baited rod over the balcony and waiting a short while. Stick to the pools for swimming!

Bull sharks can reach a length of up to 3.4m and weigh up to 230 Kg. They get their name from being bulky in appearance. It has a short stout body, small eyes, a second dorsal that's smaller than the first, a long tapered tail fin and those all important teeth are triangular and serrated in the upper jaw. Colouration is quite contrasting, with a dark grey up top but very pale below.

Despite being sluggish in the water, as it cruises the worlds waters it can muster an amazing burst of speed in order to catch it's prey or escape from danger.

The Bull shark reproduces in the summer months, mostly in shallow brakish waters. Gestation lasts a year, ending in the birth of maybe a dozen live young each measuring over two feet in length. The young take ten years to mature.

The Bull Shark is aggresive, very aggresive. Some would consider it to be a greater threat to humans in the water than the Tiger or Great White. There's not a lot it won't eat, it's main diet includes dolphins, turtles, rays, paddling birds, molluscs, any mamals that happen to wonder into a river for a drink and even other sharks. According to the International Shark Attack Files the bull shark has attributed to 17 deaths out of 82 recorded attacks since 1580.

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