Bull shark: description, lifestyle, nutrition

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:54

There are many animals on our Earth that pose a danger to human life. The heroine of our today's article is a bull shark, the most dangerous shark in the world.

She is considered the most aggressive representative of fish. The gray bull shark represents the class of cartilaginous, and is a representative of the Carchariformes order. It is also called the blunt-headed, tub-headed, bull shark.

Predators of the oceans and seas have always terrified man. They are completely unpredictable and very insidious. Attacks on people are just confirmation of what has been said. Among marine inhabitants, sharks are the most dangerous to humans. Having become a victim of a predator, it is impossible to free yourself from her jaws.

The bull shark, a representative of the genus of gray sharks, is a real monster that poses a serious danger to humans. Seeing her terrible jaws, even a desperate daredevil will be horrified. What kind of monster is this, and why is it so dangerous?

Appearance

The bull shark has a fairly large body. The size of the female (adult) sometimes exceeds 4 meters in length. Males are somewhat smaller - their body is about 2.5 meters long. Such a “fish” weighs more than 300 kilograms.

Bull shark, photo of which can be seen inpublications about marine life, has a huge head, with a blunt muzzle at the end. The scariest part of this animal is its jaws. These saw-shaped contraptions keep the underwater world at bay.

The predator's body is painted gray. True, her belly is light, almost white, and her back is a more saturated tone. Depending on the lighting, the animal can change shade, becoming either lighter or darker.

Habitat

Probably our readers are interested in where the bull shark lives? It lives not only in s alty seas, but also in freshwater lakes and rivers. It mainly lives in the waters off the coast of Latin and North America. In addition, this predator is found in the waters that wash India.

One of the varieties of bull sharks (Gill & Bransford) permanently lives in Lake Nicaragua (Central America). It is connected to the Caribbean Sea by the rapids of the San Juan River, which is about 200 km long. The sharks that live in it are the only known species adapted to living in fresh waters. The shark that lives in Lake Nicaragua is quite large - the average size is about 2.5 m, but there are individuals that exceed 3.5 meters or more in length.

The bull shark is found in the Panama Canal, where the waters of several lakes mix with the waters of the world's two oceans. The appearance of predators in Lake Izabal, in Guatemala, has been noticed. They often appear in the Atchafalaya River (Louisiana).

According to unconfirmed reports, the gray bull shark, whose photo is a special luck of photohunters,appears inland, in channels cutting south and central Florida, but this claim needs more evidence.

In South China, India and other countries of the region, this shark is very feared and at the same time revered as sacred. Its rare variety, which lives in the Ganges River, is used to feasting on human meat. Following local customs, the corpses of representatives of the upper castes are lowered into the waters of the Ganges, where terrible predators await them.

Behavior in nature

The most aggressive experts consider the males of these sharks. If the prey is in the field of view of toothy predators, it has no chance of escape. The bull shark is distinguished by its enormous strength and incredible speed. She is able to overtake the victim in a matter of seconds. At the same time, she attacks immediately, leaving no opportunity to escape from her terrible mouth.

According to scientists, the particularly aggressive behavior of males is based on the fact that their body produces a large amount of testosterone - a male hormone that is responsible for the aggression of all life on Earth. This is confirmed by practical observations and studies - prone to seemingly unreasonable outbursts of rage, bull sharks rush at everything that moves - even the propeller of a boat motor.

The muzzle of these predators has a blunt flattened shape, which increases their maneuverability, and a full mouth of sharp and jagged teeth is a very formidable weapon. Baby sharks are born with a huge amount of teeth. If one of the teeth in the front row falls out,then the new one does not grow, and its place is taken by the growing one in the back row. This number is constantly growing, replenishing the jaws of predators with new terrible weapons.

The bull shark is an extremely fast and strong animal. You can't escape her grip! She torments the victim, not paying any attention to the pain and blows caused.

The behavior of bull sharks is unpredictable. They can swim quite calmly nearby for a long time, and then suddenly attack a person.

These predators are very jealous of their possessions - accidentally or deliberately intruding alien will most definitely be destroyed.

Food

Looking for food, the bull shark absorbs almost all living things that come across on the way. Their favorite delicacy is various bony fish and dolphins. In addition to such "delicacies", she eats crabs, crayfish, shellfish. The predator also attacks its relatives. Does not refuse sea carrion. But the worst thing is that she easily attacks a person.

Reproduction

Unlike the bulk of fish, blunt-nosed sharks are viviparous. It should be noted that this is typical for most sharks.

A fertilized female carries the eggs in her body until they are fully mature. Females spend all summer in childbirth. They gather in huge flocks and give birth to sharks. One female gives birth to up to 10 babies. Immediately after giving birth, the female abandons the cubs, and she is no longer interested in their fate. For the first days and months, small sharks live in estuaries, hiding from enemies.

When they are 4 years old, they reach sexual maturity and are ready to reproduce on their own.

The life expectancy of a blunt shark is about 30 years.

Enemies

It can be said that the bull shark has almost no enemies in nature. However, she sometimes has to become a victim. They are attacked by larger predators such as killer whales.

Features of bull sharks

These predators are extremely hardy and have a high pain barrier. Thanks to this, they have earned a reputation as "immortal" predators. There are cases when already completely gutted fish released into the water ate their own giblets.

Many legends surround these predators. In some settlements in southern Africa, they are considered sacred. By and large, bull sharks are the perfect killers. These aggressors produce an amount of testosterone that no living creature on Earth can produce.

Female sharks are completely devoid of maternal instinct. This is an aggressive predator that claims to be an all-powerful animal.

Fearing terrible shark jaws, people often simply massively exterminate these predators. Often, capture is carried out for the sake of their meat, which a person eats.