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The bull shark is an underestimated shark that lived in the shadow of the great white shark and the tiger shark. But did you know that the bite of a bull shark is actually more powerful? In addition, unlike large whites or brindle, they can also live in both fresh and salt water. Find out 13 incredible facts about bull sharks below!
1. The female bull shark outweighs the male bull shark.
Male bull sharks are approximately 7 feet long and weigh 200-300 pounds. Impressive, right? Well, a female bull shark weighs twice as much – between 400 and 500-plus pounds! Clearly, a male bull shark will not want to approach a disinterested female bull shark; he may well get more than he bargained for!
2. A bull shark has more teeth than a common shark.
Bull sharks not only have super-powerful bites, but they also have many more teeth than regular sharks. While most sharks have 5-15 rows of teeth, a bull shark has a whopping 50 rows of 7 teeth each, for a total of 350+ teeth at a time (shark teeth often fall out).
3. Bull sharks can live in both salt and fresh water.
Most sharks live only in salt water. Bull sharks, on the other hand, can live in both, switching between fresh and salt water! This is due to the unique process they are capable of. This is called osmoregulation, and it allows them to regulate the body’s water and salt content. In salt water, they release more salt to balance it. In fresh water, they will retain more salt and urinate more in fresh water. The more you know!
4. Bull shark fins are used as a delicacy in soup.
Tragically, humans are the main predator of the bull shark. These fat, pale-bellied sharks are hunted for their fins. This is most often practiced in Asia, where a delicacy called shark fin soup is prepared from them.
It used to be fed to the royal family, but is now reserved for weddings and other special occasions (by those who can afford it). The fin is not used for flavor. Most likely, the cartilage is removed from the fin and dried. As it becomes moisturized in the soup, it absorbs the flavor. While the dish is popular, it can jeopardize the bull shark’s long-term well-being!
5. Bull sharks can swim (very far) up the river.
Because bull sharks can swim in fresh water (and because they are very strong swimmers), they can go impressively far upstream. In one of the most notable cases, a bull shark was found just under 2,500 miles from the ocean! They have also been found over a thousand miles up the Mississippi River, and often swim in the Zambezi River in Africa and the South Asian Ganges River!
6. The bull shark is a super opportunistic eater.
The bull shark feeds mainly on fish such as marlin, tuna, perch, etc., but that’s not all. These opportunistic eaters also hunt sea turtles (using their powerful bite to crack their shells), sea otters, dolphins, lobsters, oysters, and even seabirds. Very rarely, they even hunt and eat each other!
7. Hippos occasionally encounter a bull shark
Hippos and bull sharks are occasionally seen. Bull sharks sometimes deliberately prey on baby hippos, and it’s no surprise that hippos don’t like their company. Bull sharks even occasionally bite an adult hippopotamus, possibly mistaking it for a young hippopotamus or some other aquatic mammal. Both of these events can lead to an enraged hippopotamus attack!
8. The bull shark bites harder than the great white shark.
5914 Newtons, more than the great white and the hammer
A bull shark bite yields a whopping 5,914 Newtons (1,330 lb-ft). Compared to the 4,000 Newtons of the great white shark and the 3,300 Newtons of the tiger shark, the bite of a bull shark is incredibly powerful!
9. Crocodiles sometimes attack bull shark and even eat it.
Although humans are the biggest threat to bull sharks, crocodiles can still give them a chance to fight for their money. These large and formidable reptiles are known to attack and even eat bull sharks!
10. Bull sharks do not eat people, but they can attack.
Although bull sharks do not prey on humans, they are still somewhat aggressive species (in the top three most aggressive sharks along with tiger sharks and great white shark). While bull shark attacks are by no means common (they prefer to hunt fish and more natural prey), they do happen. This is partly due to the fact that they spend a lot of time in shallow waters, in particular along beaches and rivers. Curiosity or a simple territorial motivation may lead them to attack!
11. Bull sharks can be seen in aquariums, but they thrive in aquariums.
There are aquariums all over the world that have a bull shark. You see, most sharks can’t stand an aquarium for more than a few months. Bull sharks are different. If they have enough space and good grooming, bull sharks can spend most of their life in an aquarium!
12. Jaws Probably (approximately) based on a real bull shark
In the 1990s, New Jersey experienced a string of shark attacks. Within a few days (even hours) several adults and even a child died. The 8-foot shark was ultimately found to be to blame and was killed, ending the bloodshed. It was a (very free) film inspiration Jaws… At the time, it was believed that the great white shark was responsible for this, but now it is speculated that the bull shark was much more likely to swim that far up the river!
13. Other sharks can eat juvenile bull shark
While adult bull sharks are not usually hunted, young bull sharks are another matter entirely! These little guys are born alive, not in eggs, and are not raised by their parents. This means that it remains for them to do whatever they can to survive and dodge other hungry shark species such as the Great White or Tiger Shark!
So that’s it: 13 incredible facts about bull sharks. Did any of them surprise you? They have an astounding number of teeth, and who knew that? Jaws most likely, it was not based on a great white shark, but on a bull shark!
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