Bull shark

황소상어

A stocky shark with a blunt snout, famous for swimming up rivers and into freshwater lakes as well as living in warm coastal seas. It grows to about 2.4 m and has one of the strongest bite forces of any shark.

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At a glance

Class: Fish
Lives in: Warm coastal seas worldwide, e.g. off Fiji
Diet: Meat eater (carnivore)
Weight: about 110 kg
Length: about 2.3 m
Conservation status: Vulnerable (IUCN VU)
Habitat: coasts, rivers & lakes

Quick answers

Where does the Bull shark live?

It lives in coasts, rivers & lakes of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. On the globe you can find it near Warm coastal seas worldwide, e.g. off Fiji.

How big is the Bull shark?

It grows to about 2.3 m and 110 kg.

What does the Bull shark eat?

Its diet: meat eater (carnivore).

Is the Bull shark endangered?

It is listed as Vulnerable (IUCN VU).

The bull shark is a stocky shark found worldwide in warm, shallow water along coasts and in rivers. It is also called the Zambezi shark in Africa and the Lake Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua. It is known for its aggressive nature, and the IUCN lists it as Vulnerable.

Its name comes from its stocky shape, broad flat snout and unpredictable behaviour. It is a requiem shark, one of the species of the family Carcharhinidae, and lives in warm, shallow water along coasts and rivers around the world. It lives mainly in warm, shallow brackish and fresh water such as estuaries and the lower reaches of rivers, and it is also found in Africa and Central America.

A shark in fresh water

Bull sharks are euryhaline, which means they can live in both salt and fresh water. They often swim in brackish estuaries and lower rivers, and one has travelled up the Mississippi River as far as Alton, Illinois, about 1,100 kilometres from the sea. Even so, they are not true freshwater sharks like the river sharks of the genus Glyphis. The shark can handle changes in saltiness, which helps it pass between sea and river.

Danger and decline

Large bull sharks account for a large share of nearshore shark attacks, so beaches in some places have run shark-culling programmes. This is one reason their numbers keep falling. The shark appears on Costa Rica's 2000-colon banknote. It is a powerful, fast predator with a strong bite. The bull shark is often named differently where it lives: Ganges River shark, Fitzroy Creek whaler and river shark. Its stocky body and short snout set it apart from other requiem sharks.

Fun facts

It can live in fresh water and has been found far up rivers such as the Amazon and the Mississippi.
A bull shark swam about 1,100 km up the Mississippi River.
It has many local names, such as Zambezi shark and Lake Nicaragua shark.
It is shown on a Costa Rican banknote.