Bull Shark

ID points

• Stout body with a short blunt snout that looks cut off flat
• First dorsal fin broad and triangular, starting above the pectoral fins
• The only large shark that can stay in fresh water long term

Basics

Family

Carcharhinidae

Length

2.0–3.4 m

Depth

0-150 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs · Caribbean & W. Atlantic · Estuary & freshwater

Distribution

Tropical and subtropical coasts, estuaries and freshwater rivers worldwide

Habitat

Coastal shallows, estuaries and rivers

Diet

Fish, sea turtles, dolphins

Easily confused with

Caribbean Reef SharkStout body, first dorsal fin starting over the rear edge of the pectoral finsGrey Reef SharkA broad black margin along the rear edge of the tail fin, very conspicuousOceanic Whitetip SharkPectoral fins and first dorsal fin very long with rounded tips

Fun fact

The bull shark is the only large shark that can live for long periods in pure freshwater rivers, and it has turned up far up the Amazon, the Mississippi and the Zambezi. It adjusts the way its kidneys work to cope with different salinities, and it ranks behind only the great white and the tiger shark for recorded attacks on people.

More in this family

• Blacktip Reef Shark
• Blue Shark
• Lemon Shark
• Silky Shark
• Tiger Shark
• Whitetip Reef Shark