“Carcharhinus leucas”

The bull shark is one of the most interesting animals on the planet.  It is one of the few sharks that can inhabit both fresh and salt water.  This shark gives birth to live young, and is one of the rare animals that will hunt prey larger than itself.  Bull sharks are very robust-bodied and have a blunt, rounded snout.  Their first dorsal fin is large and broadly triangular with a pointed apex. The second dorsal fin is significantly smaller. The pectoral fins are also large and angular. Bull sharks have relatively small eyes when compared to other sharks, which may suggest that vision is not an important hunting tool for this species which often hunts in murky water.  Bull sharks are pale to dark gray above, fading to white on their underside. In younger individuals the fins have black tips which fade to a dusky color as they grow.

        Photo by: Tobey Curtis