Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system

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Species: Carcharhinus leucas, Bull Shark

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heavy body, thick head
snout very short, round
small eye
D1 broad, triangular, origin ~over pectoral rear insertion
adult color uniforme; juvenile - edges fins dark
pectoral large, angular

Carcharhinus leucas (Muller & Henle, 1839)

Bull Shark

Body heavy; head thick; snout broadly rounded and very short (<< mouth width, 4.6-6.7% of TL); eye round, small; nasal flaps broadly triangular; lip folds very short; top teeth broadly triangular, straight, heavily serrated, lower teeth high, straight, narrow; origin of first dorsal fin usually over or just behind pectoral rear insertion; first dorsal fin broadly triangular and moderately high (height 7.0-11.3% of TL), its apex fairly pointed; 2nd dorsal fin relatively large (~1/3 height of 1st dorsal), its origin slightly in front of anal origin, its free rear tip short; no ridge on back between dorsal fins; pectoral large, wide,angular tail base without keel; tail fin strongly asymmetrical, with well developed lower lobe, undulating ridge along dorsal surface of top lobe, and a notch under tip of that lobe.

Grey, becoming white ventrally, often with faint pale grey horizontal band extending into the white of the upper abdomen; fins of small individuals with dusky tips or edges, adults plain.

May reach 340 cm.

Habitat: continental coasts, estuarine, muddy areas, lagoons, often travels far up rivers.

Depth: 0-185 m.

All tropical and subtropical seas; southern California to Peru.


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Salinity
  • Freshwater
  • Brackish
  • Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Mid Water
  • Surface
  • Water column only
  • Near Surface
  • Near Bottom
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Corals
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Beach
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Rocks
  • Water column
  • Mud
  • Freshwater
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Mangrove
  • Estuary
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Bony fishes
  • Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
  • Sea snakes/mammals/turtles/birds
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
  • Sharks/rays
Egg Type
  • Live birth
  • No pelagic larva
  • No data
Global Endemism
  • Circumtropical ( Indian + Pacific + Atlantic Oceans)
  • "Transpacific" (East + Central &/or West Pacific)
  • East Pacific + all Atlantic (East+West)
  • All species
  • TEP non-endemic
  • All Pacific (West + Central + East)
  • East Pacific + Atlantic (East +/or West)
  • Transisthmian (East Pacific + Atlantic of Central America)
Regional Endemism
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Eastern Pacific non-endemic
  • Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
  • Continent
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
  • Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
  • North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
  • Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
  • South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
IUCN Red List
  • Near threatened
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 340
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 185