Origin
The bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) belongs to the genus Carcharhinus, family Carcharhinidae. It can be found in tropical, subtropical and temperate waters in estuaries or on the coasts of Asia, Africa, Australia or America.
They prefer to swim near the shore in waters with depths up to 30-50 meters. It does not exceed 150 meters. He is known for daring to climb the course of rivers.
It has been seen 3000-4000 meters away from the ocean on the Amazon River during the period when the waters are rich in fish.
The name bull shark comes from its reputation as a ferocious animal and its stocky bull-like body. It is also called the Buffalo shark, bull shark, Nicaraguan shark or Zambi (unofficially).
At this point the bull shark is not in danger of extinction because it is one of the most common sharks. The number of bull sharks population is decreasing due to overfishing and the long gestation period.
It is considered, perhaps unfairly, one of the most dangerous shark species along with the White Shark and tiger shark.
Feeding The Bull Shark
The bull shark is a fish that eats a lot. Greed characterizes him very well.
Its diet includes various species of fish, turtles, mammals, omlustes, calamari, crabs, crustaceans, etc.it also feeds on other species of sharks usually smaller.
It is a shark that swims to shallow depths in search of food. One of his tactics IS ambush.
It gives the feeling that it moves slowly, and when the food is close enough it attacks it with rapid movements. Being a greedy fish prefers large leeks.
Appearance Bull Shark
The bull shark is 3.5 meters long and weighs 250 kg. The large and impressive body is dark gray on the dorsal side (i.e. on the back) and on the ventral side (on the belly) is whitish.
On the back it has two flippers of which one is larger. On the sides it has a large flipper with sharp edges on each side.
Also on the side in the head area can be seen the five large gill slits. The large fin that propels the shark is uneven.
The heaviest bull shark on record weighed 315kg, but it is believed there were also larger specimens.
The head of the bull shark is large, and the muzzle is short. Sideways you can see small eyes. The sail is rather poorly developed, it does not help the shark that swims quite often in muddy waters.
Triangular, large and strong teeth have a frightening appearance. Females are larger than males.
Behavior Of The Bull Shark
Although it is one of the species of sharks considered very aggressive and dangerous it is said to attack man even if he is not provoked. Divers have a different opinion about sharks, they consider them Gentlemen of the oceans and that, in general, they do not attack the man unless he disturbs him with something.
Maybe a lot of people don't realize when they're encroaching on the territory of this fabulous marine fish. If they are scared or threatened, it is normal for them to attack humans or any other creature.
Do not forget that sharks make several dozen victims each year while humans hunt millions of sharks of many species.
The bull shark lives in both salt and fresh water. Not infrequently they climb up rivers in search of shoals of fish. Although classified as a solitary hunter, it sometimes hunts in small groups to trick prey and attack more easily.
After the first attack the shark continues to bite the prey until it stops resisting.
It swims relatively slowly to the bottom of shallow waters. The bull shark is also an opportunist. It feeds often.
If attacked by a predator, it regurgitates food from its stomach to escape its pursuer. It's a tactic to distract the stalker.
Breeding The Bull Shark
The reproduction of the bull shark is viviparous (gives birth to fully developed live Cubs). During the mating season, the male and female swim together.
After mating and gestation period of 10-11 months the female gives birth to 2-12 Cubs. Spawning occurs in estuaries in early spring and early summer.
At birth, puppies can be up to 80 cm long.
The advantage of bull shark pups is that in fresh waters where they are released they have no natural predators until they enter the salty waters of the ocean.
Males reach maturity at the age of 15, and females at 18 (at 2.4 meters in length and 130 kg in weight).
The life expectancy of the bull shark is 15-20 years, and in exceptional cases 30 years.
