| Revision as of 18:47, 5 August 2007 view source71.84.166.249 (talk) →Diet← Previous edit | Revision as of 02:13, 13 August 2007 view source Kerkyt16 (talk | contribs)13 edits ←Replaced page with 'Local Mann found dead on bottom of teal lake after and apparent Shark attack A shark was planted in teal lake to eat little fish and make the lake good for peop...'Next edit → | ||
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| Local Mann found dead on bottom of teal lake after and apparent Shark attack | |||
| {{Taxobox | |||
| | color = pink | |||
| | name = Bull shark | |||
| | status = LR/nt | |||
| | trend = down | |||
| | image = Bullshark_Beqa_Fiji_2007.jpg | |||
| | image_width = 250px | |||
| | regnum = ]ia | |||
| | phylum = ] | |||
| | classis = ] | |||
| | subclassis = ] | |||
| | ordo = ] | |||
| | familia = ] | |||
| | genus = '']'' | |||
| | species = '''''C. leucas''''' | |||
| | binomial = ''Carcharhinus leucas'' | |||
| | binomial_authority = (] and ], ]) | |||
| | range_map = Bull_shark_distmap.png | |||
| | range_map_width = 250px | |||
| | range_map_caption = Range of bull shark | |||
| }} | |||
| {{Sharksportal}} | |||
| The '''bull shark''', ''Carcharhinus leucas'', also known as the '''bull whaler''', '''Zambezi shark''' or colloquially '''Zambi''' in Africa and '''Nicaragua shark''' in Nicaragua, is common worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in rivers. The bull shark is well-known for its unpredictable, often aggressive behavior. | |||
| Unlike other marine sharks, bull sharks tolerate fresh water. They can travel far up ]s. As a result, they are probably responsible for the majority of attacks on humans that take place near the ], including many attacks attributed to other ].<ref name="FLMNH">{{cite web|url=http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/bullshark/bullshark.htm|title=Bull shark|publisher=Florida Museum of Natural History|accessdate=2006-09-08}}</ref> However, bull sharks are not true freshwater sharks (unlike the ]s of the genus ]). | |||
| ==Taxonomy== | |||
| The name, "bull shark", comes from the shark's stocky shape, broad, flat snout and aggressive unpredictable behavior. In ], the bull shark is often called the ] or ] shark and is considered a delicacy for ]i fish curries. In Africa it is also commonly called the ] shark or just Zambi. Its wide range and diverse habitats result in many other local names, for example ] shark, cub shark, shovelnose shark, freshwater whaler.<ref name="Allen">{{cite book|author=Allen, Thomas B.|title=The Shark Almanac|publisher=New York: The Lyons Press|date=1999|id=ISBN 1-55821-582-4}}</ref> | |||
| A shark was planted in teal lake to eat little fish and make the lake good for people to drink for and it is 100% real and its definatly not a myth | |||
| ==Distribution and habitat== | |||
| The Bull Shark is found all over the world in many different areas. The bull shark has been known to travel long distances. The bull shark is common in the coastal areas of warm oceans, in rivers and ]s, and in both salt and fresh water. They are found to a depth of 150 m, but does not usually swim deeper than 30 m.<ref name="ADW">{{cite web | |||
| |url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Carcharhinus_leucas.html | |||
| |title=''Carcharhinus leucas'' | |||
| |publisher=University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web | |||
| |accessdate=2006-09-08}} | |||
| </ref> In the ] it is found from ] ], to Southern ] and from ] to ]. In the ] it is found from ] to ], ], ] to ]. It is estimated that there are more than 500 bull sharks in the ] and greater numbers still in the canals of the ] in Queensland, Australia. In the ], it can be found from ] to ]. The shark is found in the central ], and has been recorded as far up the ] as ]. It is also found in the fresh water ] and the ] and ] rivers of ] and ] in eastern ] and adjoining ]. It can live in almost any water including water with a high salt content as in ] in ]. After Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, a large number of bull sharks were sighted in ]{{Fact|date=February 2007}}. Although rare, bull sharks have made their way through the Great Lakes as far as Lake Michigan. The Lake Michigan encounter occurred of the coast of ], Illinois in 1955.<ref name="GSAF">{{cite web | |||
| |url=http://www.sharkattackfile.net/spreadsheets/GSAF5.xls | |||
| |title=''Global Shark Attack File'' | |||
| |publisher=Global Shark Attack File | |||
| |accessdate=2007-07-29}}</ref> | |||
| Until very recently, researchers thought the sharks in ] were a separate species because there was no way for the sharks to move in or out. It was discovered that they were jumping along the rapids just like salmon. Bull sharks tagged inside the lake were later caught in the open ocean. | |||
| ==Anatomy and appearance== | |||
| Bull sharks are large and stout. Males can reach {{Convert|2.1|m|ft|1}} and weigh 90 kilograms (198.4 lb). Females can be much larger: {{Convert|3.3|m|ft|1}} and 318 kg (700 lb). Bull sharks are wider than other sharks of comparable length, and are grey on top and white below. The second ] is smaller than the first. | |||
| ==Diet== | |||
| ] | |||
| The diet of a bull shark includes ], other sharks, ]s, ]s, ]s, ]s, ]s, ], ], ]s, and even terrestrial ]s. Bull sharks have been known to use the ] technique when attacking their prey. This type of hunting behaviour has been observed when researchers entered the water with relatively calm bull sharks, and the sharks suddenly became violent and began to bump the researchers. This behaviour was seen in the documentary ], which aired on the ] in 2003, during ]. Dr. ] was severely wounded by a bull shark using this attack technique.<ref name="ADW"/> This attack was not listed as being a case of mistaken identity, because the waters during the time of the attack were clear, and no noticeable weather patterns were affecting the sharks. This attack may have been a case of territoriality, in which the bull sharks were very fierce toward intruders. Recently, Dr. Ritter concluded that the attack was provoked by a piece chum that had been thrown away from him, but was taken by a ] and brought back in his direction. The remora caused the bull sharks to get excited and swirl up the sand. In the resulting cloud of sand, one of the sharks bit him. | |||
| ==Behaviour== | |||
| Bull sharks are solitary hunters.<ref name="ADW"/> They often cruise through shallow waters. Bull sharks may appear docile, but they can suddenly burst into speed. They can be highly aggressive, even attacking a racehorse in the ] in the ] state of ]. They are extremely territorial and will attack other animals – including humans – that enter their territory. Along with the ], ] and ] sharks, bull sharks are among the four species considered the most dangerous to humans. One or more bull sharks are most likely responsible for the ] that were originally attributed to a ], and which inspired the movie '']''.<ref name="NGEO">{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/08/0802_020802_shark.html|title=Great Whites May Be Taking the Rap for Bull Shark Attacks|author=Handwerk, Brian|publisher=National Geographic News|accessdate=2007-02-01}}</ref>. | |||
| Many experts think the bull shark is responsible for most of the deaths around the ] inlets in the past. Most of these attacks were previously thought to be great whites. In India the bull shark cruises up the ] where it has killed and attacked a large number of people. It also eats the corpses that the Indians float on the river. Many of these attacks have been wrongly blamed on the ] ''Glyphis gangeticus'', a fairly rare species that is probably the only other shark that can live comfortably in both saltwater and freshwater. The ] was also blamed in the sixties and seventies. | |||
| ==Reproduction== | |||
| Bull sharks ] in the ], often in the ] water of river mouths. After ] for about a year, a bull shark may give birth to as many as 13 live young (they are ]). The young are about {{convert|70|cm|in|0}} at birth and take 10 years to reach maturity. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ]. | |||
| ==Notes and references== | |||
| <div class="references-small"><references /></div> | |||
| ====General references==== | |||
| <div class="references-small"> | |||
| * {{IUCN2006|assessors=Simpfendorfer & Burgess|year=2000|id=39372|title=Carcharhinus leucas|downloaded=11 May 2006}} Database entry includes justification for why this species is near threatened | |||
| * {{ITIS|ID=160275|taxon=Carcharhinus leucas|year=2006|date=23 January}} | |||
| * {{FishBase_species|genus=Carcharhinus|species=leucas|year=2005|month=09}} | |||
| * {{marinebio|id=83|name=Bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas}} | |||
| * Sunday Herald Sun, Sunday, April 23, 2005</div> | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{commons|Category:Carcharhinus_leucas}} | |||
| {{wikispecies|Carcharhinus_leucas}} | |||
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| *{{dmoz|Science/Biology/Flora_and_Fauna/Animalia/Chordata/Fish/Cartilaginous/Carcharhiniformes/}} | |||
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Revision as of 02:13, 13 August 2007
Local Mann found dead on bottom of teal lake after and apparent Shark attack
A shark was planted in teal lake to eat little fish and make the lake good for people to drink for and it is 100% real and its definatly not a myth