Profile: Bull Shark
Attacks: 104
Fatalities: 26
Size Range: 7-14ft
Population Status: Not threatened
Behaviour
The Bull Shark is statistically as the third most dangerous shark in the world, but most shark experts say they pose the most threat to humans. Many Bull Shark attacks occur in 3rd world areas and go unreported. They are incredibly unpredictable which is a reason why they are so dangerous (Shark World). Bull Sharks have earned the nickname 'Pit Bull of the Sea' due to being extremely territorial and aggresive (Nat Geo). These are the reasons they attack humans.
Habitat
Bull Sharks usualy live near high-populated areas like tropical shorelines. They can be found crusing in warm, shallow waters. Bull Sharks have the ability to swim in both salt and fresh water.
"Most sharks have the same salt concentration in the blood as the sea water they are swimming in. This isn’t the case with Bull Sharks. Instead, they only have 50% of the salt concentration in their blood. This makes them very special as they are able to switch from saltwater to freshwater very easily." - Sharksider
Bull Sharks have been found leaping up rapids like salmon in order to reach lakes across the world. Many have been found in lake Nicaragua. Bull Sharks are also common in some of the worlds most famous rivers. They are known to lurke the murky waters of the Ganges river. These sharks have been found thousands of miles up the Amazon river (Nat Geo) as well as being found in the US as far inland as Illinous.
Part of what makes Bull Sharks so dangerous is the likelihood of encountering them is higher than with any other shark.
Hunting
Bull Sharks have two 'menus', the freshwater menu and the saltwater menu. When in salt water Bull Sharks share a very similar diet to that of a Tiger Shark. They mainly eat fish, stingrays, sea turles, dolphins and occasionally other sharks (Nat Geo).
The staple diet of a fresh water Bull Shark consists of fish, crabs, shrimp, squid, sea urchins and turtles. Less common diety items include birds, sloths, dogs, rats, cows and antelope. Bull Sharks in Mozambique have been seen snacking on hippos.
Bull Sharks hunt alone and are very opportunistic. If neccessary these sharks even eat eachother.
Figure 1: Shows a habitat map for Bull Sharks (Sharksider, 2015)
Figure 2: Shows a hungry Bull Shark patrolling looking for its next meal.
National Geographic 'Bull Shark', unkown, found at: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/bull-shark/
Sharksider 'The Bull Shark', 2015, found at: http://www.sharksider.com/bull-shark/
Planet Deadly 'Most Dangerous Sharks', December 5th 2013, found at: http://www.planetdeadly.com/animals/dangerous-sharks
WWF, 'Sharks', unknown, http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/shark