Bull shark
Conservation status
Near Threatened
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordate Class: Chondrichthyes Subclass: Elasmobranchii Order: Carcharhiniformes Family: Carcharhinidae Genus: Carcharhinus Species: C. leucas
Binomial name
Carcharhinus leucas (Müller and Henle, 1839)
Range of bull shark

Sharks Portal

The bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas, also known as the bull whaler, Zambezi shark or informally Zambi in Africa and Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua, is common worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in rivers. The bull shark is well known for its unpredictable, often aggressive behavior. Many scientists agree that since bull sharks often dwell in shallow waters, they may be more dangerous to humans than any other species of sharks.^[1] Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn2. ... Near Threatened (NT) is an conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa which may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Subclasses and Orders See text. ... Superorders Batoidea (rays and skates) Selachimorpha (sharks) Elasmobranchii is the subclass of cartilaginous fish that includes skates, rays (batoidea) and sharks (selachii). ... Families See text. ... Genera Carcharhinus Galeocerdo Glyphis Isogomphodon Lamiopsis Loxodon Nasolamia Negaprion Prionace Rhizoprionodon Scoliodon Sphyrna Triaenodon The requiem sharks are a family (Carcharhinidae) that includes some of the best-known and most common types of sharks, such as the tiger shark, blue shark, bull shark, and milk shark. ... Species 31 species; see text. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Johannes Peter Müller (July 14, 1801, Koblenz – April 28, 1858, Berlin), was a German physiologist, comparative anatomist, and ichthyologist not only known for his discoveries but also for his ability to synthesize knowledge. ... Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle (b. ... 1839 (MDCCCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 370 pixelsFull resolution (1357 × 628 pixel, file size: 71 KB, MIME type: image/png) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Greyreefsharksmall2. ...

Unlike most other marine sharks, bull sharks tolerate fresh water. They can travel far up rivers. As a result, they are probably responsible for the majority of shark attacks on humans that take place near the shore, including many attacks attributed to other species.^[2] However, bull sharks are not true freshwater sharks (unlike the river sharks of the genus Glyphis). For other uses, see Shark (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see River (disambiguation). ... For the film, see Shark Attack (film). ... Shore A shore or shoreline is the land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. ... For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ... The river shark is one of 6 rare species of the genus Glyphis. ... The river shark is one of 6 rare species of the genus Glyphis. ...

Taxonomy

The name, "bull shark", comes from the shark's stocky shape, broad, flat snout and aggressive unpredictable behavior. In India, the bull shark is often called the Sundarbans or Ganges shark and is considered a delicacy for Bengali fish curries. In Africa it is also commonly called the Zambezi River shark or just Zambi. Its wide range and diverse habitats result in many other local names, for example Lake Nicaragua shark, Fitzroy Creek whaler, Van Rooyen's shark, cub shark, shovelnose shark, freshwater whaler.^[3][4] Ganges River Delta, Bangladesh and India The Sundarbans delta is the largest mangrove forest in the world. ... This article is about the river. ... For other uses, see Bengal (disambiguation). ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Lake Nicaragua (Spanish: Lago de Nicaragua) or Lake Cocibolca (Lago Cocibolca) is a freshwater lake in Nicaragua and it is of tectonic origin. ...

Distribution and habitat

The bull shark is found all over the world in many different areas and has been known to travel long distances. The bull shark is common in the coastal areas of warm oceans, in rivers and lakes, and occasionally streams if they are deep enough in both salt and fresh water. It is found to a depth of 150 m, but does not usually swim deeper than 30 m.^[5] In the Atlantic it is found from Massachusetts to southern Brazil, and from Morocco to Angola. In the Indian Ocean it is found from South Africa to Kenya, India, and Vietnam to Australia. It is estimated that there are more than 500 bull sharks in the Brisbane River and greater numbers still in the canals of the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. In the Pacific Ocean, it can be found from Baja California to Ecuador. For other uses, see Lake (disambiguation). ... This article is about the unit of length. ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one_fifth of its surface. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... The Brisbane River is situated in southeast Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay. ... Gold Coast redirects here. ... Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Governor HE Ms Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Area 1,852,642 km² (2st)  - Land 1,730,648 km²  - Water 121,994 km² (6. ... Location within Mexico Municipalities of Baja California Country Capital Municipalities 5 Largest City Tijuana Government  - Governor José Guadalupe Osuna Millán (PAN)  - Federal Deputies PAN: 8  - Federal Senators Alejandro González (PAN) Rafael Díaz (PAN) Fernando Castro (PRI) Area Ranked 12th  - Total 69,921 km² (26,996. ...

The shark has been reported 4,000 km (2,220 mi) up the Amazon River at Iquitos in Peru,^[6] and has been recorded as far up the Mississippi River as Illinois. It is also found in the fresh water Lake Nicaragua and the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers of West Bengal and Assam in eastern India and adjoining Bangladesh. It can live in almost any water including water with a high salt content as in St. Lucia Estuary in South Africa. After Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, a large number of bull sharks were sighted in Lake Ponchartrain.^[7] Although rare there, bull sharks have made their way through the Great Lakes as far as Lake Michigan. The Lake Michigan encounter occurred off the coast of Chicago, Illinois in 1955.^[8] KM, Km, or km may stand for: Khmer language (ISO 639 alpha-2, km) Kilometre Kinemantra Meditation Knowledge management KM programming language KM Culture, Korean Movie Maker. ... “Miles” redirects here. ... This article is about the river. ... Iquitos is the largest city in the Peruvian rainforest, with a population of around 400,000. ... For the river in Canada, see Mississippi River (Ontario). ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (140,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... Lake Nicaragua (Spanish: Lago de Nicaragua) or Lake Cocibolca (Lago Cocibolca) is a freshwater lake in Nicaragua and it is of tectonic origin. ... Ganga redirects here. ... The Brahmaputra is one of the major rivers of Asia. ... , West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Poshchimbôŋgo) is a state in eastern India. ... , Assam (  ) (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a north eastern state of India with its capital at Dispur, a suburb of the city Guwahati. ... iSimangaliso Wetland Park iSimangaliso Wetland Park is situated on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa about 275 kilometres north of Durban (). It is South Africas third-largest protected area, spanning 280 km of coastline, from the Mozambican border in the north to Mapelane south of the St... This article is about the Atlantic hurricane of 2005. ... Lake Pontchartrain is the second largest salt-water lake in the United States, and the largest lake in southeastern Louisiana. ... The Great Lakes from space The Laurentian Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes in North America on or near the Canada-United States border. ... Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one located entirely within the United States. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ...

Freshwater tolerance

Bull sharks hand fed from the beach at Walker's Cay

Only 43 species of elasmobranch in ten genera and four families have been reported to enter fresh water, of which the bull shark is the best known. Other species that enter rivers include the stingrays (Dasyatidae, Potamotygonidae and others) and sawfishes (Pristidae). Some skates (Rajidae), smooth dogfishes (Triakidae), and sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus) regularly enter estuaries. The ability of elasmobranchs to enter fresh water is limited because their blood is normally at least as salty (in terms of osmotic strength) as seawater, through the accumulation of urea and trimethylamine oxide, but bull sharks living in fresh water reduce the concentration of these solutes by up to 50%. Even so, bull sharks living in fresh water need to produce twenty times more urine than those in salt water.^[4] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 584 pixelsFull resolution (3332 × 2432 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 584 pixelsFull resolution (3332 × 2432 pixel, file size: 1. ... Superorders Galeomorpha Batoidea Selachimorpha Elasmobranchii is the subclass of cartilaginous fishes that includes skates, rays and sharks. ... For other uses, see Stingray (disambiguation). ... Genera Dasyatis Himantura Pastinachus Pteroplatytrygon Taeniura Urogymnus Stingrays are rays in the family Dasyatidae. ... Genera Anoxypristis Pristis See text for species. ... Genera Anoxypristis Pristis See text for species. ... Look up skates in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Genera See text. ... Binomial name Mustelus canis Mitchill, 1815 The Smooth Dogfish, Mustelus canis, is species of shark. ... Genera See text Hound sharks are a family, Triakidae, of ground sharks, consisting of about 40 species in 9 genera. ... SANDBAR SHARK Order - Carcharhiniformes Family - Carcharhinidae Genus - Carcharhinus Species - plumbeus Taxonomy The sandbar shark was described by Nardo in 1827 as Squalus plumbeus based on a specimen taken from the Adriatic Sea. ... Binomial name Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827) The sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, comes from the Carcharhinidae family of sharks, also called requiem sharks. ... In chemistry, the osmole (Osm) is a non-SI unit of measurement that defines the number of moles of a chemical compound that contribute to a solutions osmotic pressure. ... Urea is an organic compound with the chemical formula (NH2)2CO. Urea is also known as carbamide, especially in the recommended International Nonproprietary Names (rINN) in use in Europe. ... Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a naturally occurring osmolyte that occurs in saltwater fish, sharks and rays, molluscs, and crustaceans. ...

Until the 1970s, researchers thought the sharks in Lake Nicaragua were a separate species because there was no way for the sharks to move in or out. It was discovered that they were jumping along the rapids just like salmon. Bull sharks tagged inside the lake were later caught in the open ocean.^[9] Lake Nicaragua (Spanish: Lago de Nicaragua) or Lake Cocibolca (Lago Cocibolca) is a freshwater lake in Nicaragua and it is of tectonic origin. ... For other uses, see Salmon (disambiguation). ...

Anatomy and appearance

A sketch of a bull shark

Bull sharks are large and stout. Males can reach 2.1 m (6.9 ft) and weigh 90 kg (198.4 lb). Females can be much larger:up to 3.49 m (11.5 ft) [1] and 318 kg (700 lb). Bull sharks are wider than other sharks of comparable length, and are grey on top and white below. The second dorsal fin is smaller than the first. Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) from NOAA. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) from NOAA. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... A foot (plural: feet; symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Kg redirects here. ... Look up pound in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Dorsal fin of an orca A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of fishes, whales, dolphins, and porpoises, as well as the (extinct) ichthyosaurs. ...

Diet

The diet of bull sharks includes fish, other sharks, rays, dolphins, turtles, birds, molluscs, echinoderms, crustaceans, and even terrestrial mammals. Bull sharks have been known to use the bump-and-bite technique when attacking their prey. This type of hunting behaviour has been observed when researchers entered the water with relatively calm bull sharks, and the sharks suddenly became violent and began to bump the researchers. This behaviour was seen in the documentary Anatomy of a Sharkbite, which aired on the Discovery Channel in 2003, during Shark Week[2]. Dr. Erich Ritter was severely wounded by a bull shark using this attack technique.^[5] This attack was not listed as being a case of mistaken identity, because the waters during the time of the attack were clear, and no noticeable weather patterns were affecting the sharks. This attack may have been a case of territoriality, in which the bull sharks were very fierce toward intruders. Recently, Dr. Ritter concluded that the attack was provoked by a piece of chum that had been thrown away from him, but was taken by a remora and brought back in his direction. The remora caused the bull sharks to get excited and swirl up the sand. In the resulting cloud of sand, one of the sharks bit him. For other uses, see Fish (disambiguation). ... Families Anacanthobatidae Dasyatidae Gymnuridae Hexatrygonidae Myliobatidae Plesiobatidae Potamotrygonidae Rajidae Rhinobatidae Urolophidae Rajiformes is the order of true rays and skates, flat-bodied cartilaginous fishes related to sharks. ... For other uses, see Dolphin (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Turtle (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation). ... Classes Caudofoveata Aplacophora Polyplacophora - Chitons Monoplacophora Bivalvia - Bivalves Scaphopoda - Tusk shells Gastropoda - Snails and Slugs Cephalopoda - Squids, Octopuses, etc. ... Classes Subphylum Homalozoa Gill & Caster, 1960 Class Homostelea Class Homoiostelea Class Stylophora Gill & Caster, 1960 Class Ctenocystoidea Robison & Sprinkle, 1969 Subphylum Crinozoa Class Eocrinoidea Jaekel, 1899 Class Paracrinoidea Regnéll, 1945 Class Cystoidea von Buch, 1846 Class Blastoidea Class Crinoidea Subphylum Asterozoa Class Ophiuroidea Class Asteroidea Subphylum Echinozoa Helicoplacoidea †  ?Arkarua... For the Dutch band, see Crustacean (band). ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of sweat glands, including milk producing sweat glands, and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex... Discovery Channel is a cable and satellite TV channel founded by John Hendricks which is distributed by Discovery Communications. ... The Discovery Channels Shark Week, which first aired in 1987, is a week-long series of feature television programs dedicated to facts on sharks. ... Genera Echeneis Phtheiricthys Remora Remorina See text for species. ...

Behavior

Bull shark (Bahamas)

Bull sharks are solitary hunters.^[5] They often cruise through shallow waters. They can suddenly burst into speed and can be highly aggressive, even attacking a racehorse in the Brisbane River in the Australian state of Queensland.[3] They are extremely territorial and will attack other animals – including humans – that enter their territory. Along with the great white, tiger and oceanic whitetip sharks, bull sharks are among the four species considered the most dangerous to humans, and is probably the most dangerous of the four species. One or more bull sharks are most likely responsible for the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916 that were originally attributed to a great white, and which inspired the movie Jaws.^[10]. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 584 pixelsFull resolution (3332 × 2432 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 584 pixelsFull resolution (3332 × 2432 pixel, file size: 1. ... The Brisbane River is situated in southeast Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay. ... Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is the sixth-largest country in the world, the only country to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia/Oceania. ... Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State Motto(s): Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Anna Bligh (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Range (in blue) For other uses, see Great White (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Tiger shark (disambiguation). ... Binomial name (Poey, 1861) Range of oceanic whitetip shark Synonyms Squalus maou, Lesson 1822-1825 Squalus longimanus, Poey 1861 Pterolamiops longimanus Carcharhinus obtusus, Garman 1881 Carcharhinus insularum, Snyder 1904 Pterolamiops magnipinnis, Smith 1958 Pterolamiops budkeri, Fourmanoir 1961 The oceanic whitetip shark, Carcharhinus longimanus, is a large pelagic shark of tropical... The Philadelphia Inquirer reported the capture of a man-eating shark off the Jersey Shore after the attacks. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Range (in blue) For other uses, see Great White (disambiguation). ... Jaws (1975) is an American film, based upon a bestselling novel by Peter Benchley, which tells the story of a resort towns sheriff who tries to protect beachgoers from the predations of a huge great white shark by closing the beach, only to be overruled by the town council. ...

Many experts think the bull shark is responsible for most of the deaths around the Sydney Harbour inlets in the past.^{[citation needed]} Most of these attacks were previously thought to be great whites. In India the bull shark cruises up the Ganges River where it has killed and attacked a large number of people. It also eats the corpses that the Indians float on the river. Many of these attacks have been wrongly blamed on the Ganges shark, Glyphis gangeticus,^{[citation needed]} a fairly rare species that is probably the only other shark that can live comfortably in both saltwater and freshwater. The grey nurse shark was also blamed in the sixties and seventies. Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge located on Port Jackson Port Jackson is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia, also known as Sydney Harbour and is the largest natural harbour in the world. ... This article is about the river. ... Binomial name Glyphis gangeticus (Müller & Henle, 1839) The Ganges shark (Glyphis gangeticus) is a rare species of fresh water shark that dwells in the Ganges River. ... Binomial name Carcharias taurus Rafinesque, 1810 Not to be confused with nurse shark. ...

Reproduction

Bull sharks breed in the summer, often in the brackish water of river mouths. After gestating for about a year, a bull shark may give birth to as many as 13 live young (they are viviparous). The young are about 70 cms (28 in) at birth and take 10 years to reach maturity. For other uses, see Reproduction (disambiguation) Reproduction is the biological process by which new individual organisms are produced. ... For other uses, see Summer (disambiguation). ... Brackish water is water that is saltier than fresh water, but not as salty as sea water. ... Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. ... A viviparous animal is an animal employing vivipary, a method of reproduction in which the embryo develops inside the body of the mother from which it gains nourishment, and not from an egg. ... A centimetre (American spelling centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of length that is equal to one hundredth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. ...

Enemies

Bull sharks are apex predators, and rarely have to fear being attacked by other animals. Humans are their biggest threat. Larger sharks, such as the tiger shark and great white, may attack them. Crocodiles, such as the saltwater crocodile may also eat them if they enter their freshwater territories. Apex predators (also alpha predators, superpredators, or top-level predators) are predators that, as adults, are not normally preyed upon in the wild in significant parts of their ranges. ... Genera Crocodylus Osteolaemus Tomistoma A crocodile can be any of the 14 species of large, water-loving reptiles in the family Crocodylidae (sometimes classified instead as the subfamily Crocodylinae). ... Binomial name (Schneider, 1801) Range of the Saltwater Crocodile in black The Saltwater or Estuarine Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the largest of all living crocodilians and reptiles. ...

See also

• List of sharks
• List of fatal, unprovoked shark attacks in the United States by decade.
• List or Reported Bull and Zambesi Incidents

// Sharks belong to the superorder Selachimorpha in the subclass Elasmobranchii in the class Chondrichthyes. ... This is a list of fatal, unprovoked shark attacks that occurred in United States territorial waters by decade in reverse chronological order. ...

Notes and references

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

General references

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) is a partnership designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species. ... is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... FishBase is a comprehensive database of information about fish. ...

External links

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Carcharhinus leucas

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Carcharhinus leucas

• Bull shark at the Open Directory Project