While a maximum size of 3.5 m (11 ft) is commonly reported, a single record exists of a female specimen of exactly 4.0 m (13.1 ft). From there, weights are smaller and change according with the species. This is also a problem, since this gives them the most interaction with humans. Carcharhinus leucas. Their diet can also include turtles, birds, dolphins, terrestrial mammals, crustaceans, and echinoderms. [32] Other species that enter rivers include the stingrays (Dasyatidae, Potamotrygonidae and others) and sawfish (Pristidae). [34] This bottleneck may have separated the bull shark from the rest of the Elasmobranchii subclass and favored the genes for an osmoregulatory system. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. The name “bull shark” comes from the shark’s stocky shape, broad, flat snout, and aggressive, unpredictable behavior. Bull sharks in freshwater environments decrease the salt-excretory activity of the rectal gland, thereby conserving sodium and chloride. [41], The bull shark's diet consists mainly of bony fish and small sharks, including other bull sharks,[4] and stingrays. Growth rates have been calculated by Thorson and Lacy (1982) using tag recapture information in Lake Nicaragua. And that’s despite how the maximum average bull shark size is 11 feet! Coloration A typical female bull shark is 2.4 m (7.9 ft) long and weighs 130 kg (290 lb), while a male averages 2.25 m (7.4 ft) and 95 kg (209 lb). They were testing to find out what determined the movement of the young bull sharks. Adults are normally about 3.5 meters (11 feet) long and weigh approximately 300 kilograms (660 pounds). It’s large size, proclivity for freshwater, abundance and proximity to human populations, particularly in the tropics, makes it more of a potential threat than is either the White shark or the Tiger shark. [51], In 2008, researchers tagged and recorded the movements of young bull sharks in the Caloosahatchee River estuary. [31], The bull shark is the best known of 43 species of elasmobranch in 10 genera and four families to have been reported in fresh water. It was found that bull sharks tended to avoid mesh netting of bright colors rather than colors that blended in with the water. Typically, females are larger than makes and generally live longer. [25] Bull sharks have occasionally gone as far upstream in the Mississippi River as Alton, Illinois,[26] and up the Ohio River as far as Manchester, Ohio. Bull sharks occur in tropical to subtropical coastal waters, worldwide. It is more often targeted in small artisanal fisheries because of its abundance in nearshore environments. They give birth in the fresh water of rivers. [52] The freshwater acts as a protective area where the young are able to grow and mature without the threat of larger sharks preying on the younger bull sharks. They can be found attached to the body surface, often in the axil region of the pectoral and pelvic fins. Bull sharks have small eyes relative to most other carcharhinid sharks which suggests that vision may not be as important for this species which often occurs in turbid waters. 1995) and maximum reported weight is 316.5 kg (~698 pounds) (IGFA 2001). The bull shark is also known as the zambezi shark. After fitting the massive shark with an ID tag, they released her back into the deep blue. They weight approximately 200-500lbs. Mating and birthing occurs year-round in the warmest parts of the range. [4][12][13] Bull sharks are wider and heavier than other requiem sharks of comparable length, and are grey on top and white below. Bull Sharks :: MarineBio Video Library Bull sharks, Carcharhinus leucas (Müller and Henle, 1839), aka zambezi, ganges (often confused with the Ganges river shark, Glyphis gangeticus), ground sharks, river sharks, freshwater whalers, estuary whalers, shovelnoses, slipway greys, and swan river whalers, are massive and fearsome sharks with a short, broad, blunt snouts, small eyes, and triangular saw-edged upper teeth. Does the Bull Shark Make a Good Pet. [9][49], They are viviparous, born live and free-swimming. [5] In India, the bull shark may be confused with the Sundarbans or Ganges shark. The second dorsal fin is smaller than the first. Parasites of the bull shark include the copepods Pandarus sinuatus and Perissopus dentatus. By the weight of the net and the heavy thrashing, the duo knew something big was in the net and headed into shore. [20] Several were sighted in one of the main streets of Goodna, Queensland, shortly after the peak of the January 2011, floods. This is because they prefer to swim in shallow waters similar to us. A bull shark bites with a force of under 6000 newtons. All elasmobranchs have a rectal gland which functions in the excretion of excess salts accumulated as a consequence of living in seawater. A crocodile in South Africa was also reported to have consumed a bull shark. A bull shark bites with a force of under 6000 newtons. The heaviest recorded bull shark was 694 lb (315kg) Bull sharks do not have an interdorsal ridge. Bull sharks can thrive in both salt and fresh water and can travel far up rivers. Found in tropical and temperate waters around Australia, the bull shark has distinctive, small serrated teeth that are typically found in the whaler shark family. [33] The young are not born with a high tolerance for high salinity, so they are born in fresh water and stay there until they are able to travel out. Bull sharks adapt well to being kept in captivity and are on exhibit in a number of public aquaria. Gravest! Bull sharks have been recorded in the Tigris River since at least 1924 as far upriver as Baghdad. The maximum reported length of the bull shark is 400 cm (~13 ft) (Compagno et al. [citation needed] It can live in water with a high salt content as in St. Lucia Estuary in South Africa. Length/Weight Conversions for Marine Fishes of Texas. A full grown bull shark can be around 10 to 11 meters in length. Bull sharks are wider and heavier than other requiem sharksof comparable lengt… Adults usually weigh between 200 and 500 pounds (91 to 227 kilograms). The maximum weight of a bull shark that has been registered is 315kg, roughly equal to 694lb. This is due to a longer lifespan, as females live about 16 years as compared to 12 years. Most males live for about 13 years, while females live to about 17 years of age. Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) is well-known for its unpredictable, capricious and aggressive nature.More than any of the other sharks, bull shark is the most feared and dangerous. Since bull sharks often dwell in very shallow waters, are found in many types of habitats, are territorial by nature, and have no tolerance for provocation, they may be more dangerous to humans than any other species of shark. [56], Bull sharks have no natural predators in the wild, in fact humans are their biggest threat. This is mostly due to their feeding patterns, since they prefer murky waters. The female bull shark can reach a weight of 500 pounds and a length of 5 feet. [12][13] In the Arabian Sea, off the coast of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, a pregnant shark weighing 347.8 kg (767 lb) and measuring 3 m (9.8 ft) long was caught in the Arabian Sea was caught in February 2019,[15][16] followed by another specimen weighing about 350 kg (770 lb) and measuring about the same in length, in January 2020.[17][18]. Because the majority of sharks are only able to survive in salt water, the bull shark has evolved to have their offspring in the fresh water where other sharks cannot enter. Bull sharks have attacked swimmers around the Sydney Harbour inlets. [45][46], Sharks are opportunistic feeders,[44] and the bull shark is no exception to this, as it is part of the Carcharhinus family of sharks. Size at birth is 56-81 cm (~2-3 ft) and size at maturity is 157-226 cm (~5-7 ft) for males and 180-230 cm (~6-7.5 ft) for females (Simpfendorfer and Burgess 2009). Unlike the river sharks of the genus Glyphis, bull sharks are not true freshwater sharks, despite their ability to survive in freshwater habitats. Predators The bull shark is considered a game fish in the southeastern U.S. and South Africa, and is fished by rod and reel from shore, piers, and bridges. The cause of death could have been starvation since the primary food source for bull sharks resides in salt water.[40]. From there, weights are smaller and change according with the species. 244).It readily penetrates far up rivers and hypersaline bays and littoral lagoons (Ref. Bull sharks are active during the daytime and at … The largest known bull shark was a female measuring 4 meters in length. They also occur in a number of river systems and some freshwater lakes (Compagno et al. Other food items occasionally reported in bull sharks include sea turtles, dolphins, crabs, shrimp, sea birds, squid, and dogs. Its genus, Carcharhinus, also includes the sandbar shark, which is not capable of osmoregulation. The male likely bites the female on the tail until she can turn upside down and the male can copulate at that point. Are bull sharks dangerous to man? [36] The kidneys produce large amounts of dilute urine, but also play an important role in the active reabsorption of solutes into the blood. The Bull shark is also not as readily identified as is the white shark or the tiger shark, and so may be responsible for a large fraction of the of the attacks that go unassigned to species (ISAF 2018). The ability to be able to survive in both fresh and salt water also gives another benefit that has been driven by evolution. The bite force of a bull shark is 5914 Newtons, which is the highest for any fish, weight for weight. Once they made it to the bank, the found the 6-foot bull shark. Bull sharks average life span is about 27-28 years, but sometimes they live longer. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009-2.RLTS.T39372A10187195.en. The bull shark is able to discriminate between colors of mesh netting that is present underwater. [11] Adult female bull sharks average 2.4 m (7.9 ft) long and typically weigh 130 kg (290 lb), whereas the slightly smaller adult male averages 2.25 m (7.4 ft) and 95 kg (209 lb). Select fish and enter length in inches: [citation needed], After Hurricane Katrina, many bull sharks were sighted in Lake Pontchartrain. Bull sharks tend to weigh between 200 and 500 pounds. The largest recorded bull shark was a 4.0 m (13.1 ft) female. It commonly enters estuaries, bays, harbors, lagoons, and river mouths. Bull sharks tend to weigh between 200 and 500 pounds. When ocean-bound, bulls eat bony fish, stingrays, dolphins, sea turtles, other sharks, mollusks, crustaceans and all kinds of other schooling fish. The young are about 70 cm (27.6 in) at birth. Male bull sharks weight around 200 pounds while female bull sharks can reach up to 290 pounds. Description. [10], Bull sharks are large and stout, with females being larger than males. Many of these bite incidents were attributed to the Ganges shark, Glyphis gangeticus, a critically endangered river shark species, although the sand tiger shark was also blamed during the 1960s and 1970s. Coad, B. W. (2015). The bull shark name derives from its stout appearance and reputation for aggressive behavior. Capture for shark fin soup is a primary cause of the population decline of this species. Juvenile bull sharks enter low salinity estuaries and lagoons as readily as adults do and use these shallow areas as nursery grounds. Like many fish, bull sharks exhibit countershading, or dark coloration on top and light coloration on the underbelly.This helps the animals blend into their surroundings—from above, its dark back blends into the murky water below. (http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/bullshark/bullshark.htm) They can weigh over 320 kilograms or 700 pounds in weight. [49] Coastal lagoons, river mouths, and other low-salinity estuaries are common nursery habitats. Females reach a length of 4 meters, males are smaller – their length does not exceed 2.5 m. The maximum documented weight of the caught bull shark was 316.5 kg.Body color is not striking – the gray back smoothly passing on the sides to the light belly. Larger sharks, such as the tiger shark and great white shark, may attack them, typically only targeting juveniles however. 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