AnimalvsAnimal
Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas)🦈

Photo: João D'Andretta · CC BY 4.0

SpeciesCarcharhiniformesCarcharhinidae
Sharks & rays

🦈Bull shark

Carcharhinus leucas (Müller & Henle, 1839)

The bull shark, also known as the Zambezi shark in Africa and Lake Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua, is a species of requiem shark commonly found worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in rivers. It is known for its aggressive nature, and presence mainly in warm, shallow brackish and freshwater systems including estuaries and (usually) lower reaches of rivers. Their aggressive nature has led to ongoing shark-culling efforts near beaches to protect beachgoers, which is one of the causes of bull shark populations continuing to decrease. Bull sharks are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Videos
17
Photos
2
Measurements
8
vs you
≈ 2.8× your weight
Also called
Carcharhinus leucas
Conservation status
VUVulnerable

IUCN Red List assessment, 2021.

Population trendDecreasing
Key measurements
Body mass
174 kg
Body length
2.6 m
Shoulder height
not recorded
Top speed
not recorded
Bite force
not recorded
Maximum lifespan
32 years
All measurements ↓
Facts and figures

Everything we know about the Bull shark

Typical adult figures. Where a value is an estimate rather than a measurement, it says so.

Body mass
174 kgrecord 317 kg · FishBase
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Body length
2.6 mrecord 3.6 m · FishBasetypical adult
FishBase
Other figures ↓

Record: largest individual on record

Source: FishBase · v25.04 · CC BY-NC 4.0

By sex

  • Female4 mFishBasev25.04
Maximum lifespan
32 yearsrecord 32 years · FishBase
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Litter size
about 10
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Trophic level
4.31
FishBase
Details ↓

Source: FishBase · v25.04, estimate table · CC BY-NC 4.0

Diet
carnivoreaverage
Details ↓

From trophic level 4.31 (FishBase): <2.2 herbivore, 2.2–2.8 omnivore, >2.8 carnivore.

Danger to humans
traumatogenic
FishBase
Details ↓

Source: FishBase · v25.04 · CC BY-NC 4.0

Volume l
174 Laverage
Details ↓

Body mass at ~1.0 kg/L, the density of vertebrate tissue.

average = a mean across sexes or species in a group.

Not recorded for Bull shark yet: shoulder height, top speed, bite force.

Where it sits

Family tree

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. ›phylumChordata
  3. ›classElasmobranchii
  4. ›orderCarcharhiniformes
  5. ›familyCarcharhinidae
  6. ›genusCarcharhinus
  7. ›speciesCarcharhinus leucas
Full lineage
  1. subphylumVertebrata
  2. superclassGnathostomata
  3. classSharks & rays · Chondrichthyes
  4. subclassElasmobranchii
All 7 branches ↓
  1. kingdomMetazoa
  2. phylumChordata
  3. subphylumCraniata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. superclassGnathostomata
  6. classSharks & rays · Chondrichthyes
  7. subclassElasmobranchii
More

More about the Bull shark

In other languages
公牛鯊 (zh), Bullenhai (de), żarłacz tępogłowy (pl), כריש שורי (he), 황소상어 (ko), Requin-bouledogue (fr) … and 26 more languages
More photos
Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas)Bull shark (2007)
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