Species: Carcharhinus leucas, Bull Shark
snout very short, round
small eye
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.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Freshwater
- Brackish
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Mid Water
- Surface
- Water column only
- Near Surface
- Near Bottom
- Habitat
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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
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- Continent + Island (s)
- Eastern Pacific non-endemic
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic
- Island (s)
- All species
- Continent
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- 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
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- Near threatened
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 340
- Depth Range Min
-
- 0
- Depth Range Max
-
- 185