Some research has proved that 70% of the ocean waters are shark free.

The great white shark habitat is along the U.S. west coast sometimes moving down to the Pacific coast of Mexico and the west reaching the coast of Hawaii.

The Mako shark habitat is from the US-Mexico border to Washington. It also dwells waters of Argentina and Canada.

The blue shark habitat is from the west coast of Mexico to Canada. Blue Sharks inhabit the coasts of every continent, except Antarctica.

Links to other pages in this site

What Do Blue Sharks Eat?
How Many Species Of Sharks?
What Are The Tiger Shark Enemies?
Why Sharks Attack Humans?
How Does Great White Shark Attack?

Sharks live in every ocean in the world. However, research has shown that up to 70% of oceans are free of sharks.

Sharks are not territorial like most animals are, so they frequently change their habitat. Like other fish, females do not stay to take care of eggs or the newborns. Young sharks are ready to take care of themselves from the very moment they born.

Sharks have succeeded for 420-450 million years because they are excellent adapting to changing environments. Therefore they can change their living area in search of food quickly. Regardless sharks are cold blooded, they live either in warm, temperate and cold waters. Some species live mainly in cold waters, while some others prefer warmer waters.

SHARK MIGRATION

One thing is for sure; sharks migrate to find new sources of food and they can travel up to hundreds of miles to do that.

Most species of sharks live in the oceans. However, some of them are known to dwell in bodies of freshwater, like the bull shark which travels up to 4,000 Km up the Amazon River.

Sometimes, sharks reach freshwater bodies; this could be the result of the destruction of their habitat by human activities. Either pollution or any other destructive human activity, have provoked that the quick adapting sharks look for food in unusual places.

Specifically, the white shark lives along the U.S. west coast.

The Mako shark habitat is from the US-Mexico border to Washington.

The blue shark habitat is from the west coast of Mexico to Canada.
Read about Shark Habitat

Links to other pages in this site

How Much Do Sharks Weight?
Why Sharks Attack Humans?
Why Are People Afraid Of Sharks?
What Is The Habitat Of A Shark?
How Do Sharks Breed?

The bull shark is also known as the zambezi shark. It should not be confused with the sand tiger shark (Carcharhinus taurus), which is also called bull shark in other languages.

Many people consider the bull shark one of the most dangerous sharks in the world since this species has many attacks on humans registered, and according to the Internation Shark Attack File, it is the third species with most attacks on humans, only after the great white shark and the tiger shark. Besides, its aggressiveness and its ability to live in saltwater as well as freshwater, add further concern.

It is a member of the order Carcharhiniformes, Carcharhinidae, and Carcharhinus.

DESCRIPTION

The reason why it is called “bull shark” refers to the short, sturdy form of its body that resembles a bull, and perhaps it is also due to its hostile behavior. It has a blunt snout, rounded and wide but not very long. It has two dorsal fins with a triangular shape, of which the second is visibly smaller but the tips of both are dark in young specimens. They do not have an interdorsal ridge.

The reason why it is called “bull shark” refers to the short, sturdy form of its body.

Their eyes are quite small, which gives a clue about their limited visual sense and their preference for waters near the coasts where the prey are abundant. Instead, its movable jaws contain several triangular teeth that measure about 3 inches long.

The color of its skin is light gray, and its belly is white. There is sexual dimorphism: the female is larger than the male, as the male commonly has a length of 2.13 meters and weighs 90-95 kilograms, while the female reaches a length of 2.3-3.4 meters and weighs 129-230 kilograms.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT

Bull shark distribution is along the coastal waters of tropical and subtropical seas around the world. In the Atlantic Ocean, it is located from the United States to Brazil and from Morocco to Angola. In the Indian Ocean, it is present in waters ranging from South Africa to Kenya and from India and Vietnam to Australia.

It is one of the few species of sharks prepared to inhabit saltwater and freshwater, in the latter for a long time. It dwells in waters ranging from 150 to 30 meters deep of oceans, seas, bays and harbors and even ventures into lakes and rivers.

Bull Shark – Carcharhinus leucas.

FEEDING

The bull shark is an opportunistic carnivorous predator but can eat almost anything it finds in its way including fish, rays, sea turtles, mollusks, echinoderms, young sharks (including the same species), mammals and seabirds. In the stomachs of some individuals have been found remains of hippos and humans but these are not a regular part of their diet. Their favorite fish are chelons, mullets, mackerels, and snappers. However, their food consumption adapts when they dwell in freshwater areas, and then feeds on turtles, shrimp and other species of that habitat.

It hunts only in murky waters and compensates its limited sense of sight with a keen sense of smell. If they find a suitable prey, they swim directly toward it reaching speeds of up to 19 kilometers per hour; it hits the victim, and then sink their sharp teeth into the flesh. The rest is already known.

REPRODUCTIVE HABITS

The bull shark is viviparous, and the age to reach sexual maturity depends on the geographic region in which it is located but usually the age is ten years old for males and 10.9 years old for females. Some individuals can mature when reaching eight years of age.

Mating occurs in late spring and the summer. The mating scars on the females’ body indicate that during the process, the male bites his mate.

The gestation period lasts 10 to 11 months. The female has between 1 and 13 offspring, often in brackish water or in freshwater lakes.

Probably their most notable behavior is that they can tolerate freshwater.

BEHAVIOR

The bull shark prefers loneliness than the company of other sharks of its species, so it hunts by itself. It is not migratory, but some individuals from South America travel thousands of kilometers to the Atlantic Ocean, and many often go to fresh and brackish waters to give birth.

Probably their most notable behavior is that they can tolerate freshwater. While their body adapts to this change (it reduces the amount of salt and urea to suit different salinities), it is surprising that they are not afraid of water systems that are less salty and more shallow than their natural habitat. They avoid regions with low temperatures.

It shows certain aggressiveness and tendency to live near populated areas, a fact that makes it an animal of care.

THREATS AND CONSERVATION

Commercial fishing usually does not try to catch bull sharks, but this species is classified as “Near Threatened” on the IUCN Red List without compelling reasons.

Over time it has been captured to obtain its meat, its skin and its oil for several purposes. Recreational or sports fishing is also responsible for the situation. In current times many aquariums demand the presence of the bull shark in their facilities since it is a species that adapts well to life in a closed environment and catches people’s attention. This practice still does not seriously harm shark populations but is a potential danger if demand increases.

On the other hand, roaming areas close to human populations makes it an animal more vulnerable to the effects of civilization, such as pollution and incidental fishing.

At the moment there are no specific programs, plans or actions for the conservation of the bull shark.

Sources:

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/39372/0

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull_shark

http://www.arkive.org/bull-shark/carcharhinus-leucas/

https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/discover/species-profiles/carcharhinus-leucas

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Carcharhinus_leucas/

BioExpedition Publishing © 2017.

Leopard Shark In His Natural Habitat

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Leopard Shark With Spots Over Its Back

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They aren’t territorial like so many types of animals are. So they are free to roam the waters. The females don’t stay to care for their young so for those species who lay eggs, they have not trouble placing them in a hidden location and then being on their way. They young sharks care for themselves from the very moment they hatch.

Sharks easily Adapt

Sharks are very good at adapting to new situations and environments which is why they have survived in the water for millions of years.

The habitat of a shark depends on the species though. Sharks are cold blooded, and that would usually imply that they would search for areas where the temperatures are very cold. However that is not true as there are sharks living in warm, temperate and cold waters.

It is understood that sharks are going to live where the water is deep enough that they can be well hidden. This allows them the ability to swim freely around in the body of water. Of course they need to reside where they can find enough food to survive on. Since sharks have very few enemies they are able to move freely around in the water as they desire. They are loners for the most part so they don’t travel together.

However, many sharks live closer to the surface in order to find the sources of food they are after. They often don’t eat daily though so they can dwell deeper in the water in between feedings. They will follow the trail of food when they need to so they can travel hundreds of miles to find what they need in order to survive. Generally the more food they can live on in a general area though they more they will remain in one spot.

Most species of sharks reside in saltwater which means they are found in the oceans. However, some of them are known to live in bodies of fresh water.

There are many who worry that humans are destroying the natural habitats of sharks. We continue to pollute the waters and to remove various sources of food from the water for our own use. As a result sharks have to move to locations that were once free of them if they wish to continue surviving.

Some sharks now reside in fake habitats along with other types of aquatic live. This is to preserve them. Most are in exhibits at very expensive locations found around the world.

Millions of people pay to go see them up close though as they walk through tunnels with the sharks on both sides swimming around. Others are carefully observed by researchers in order to learn more about certain species of sharks. Not all species do well in captivity though so the process is very selective.

Even with specific locations where sharks are known to live, it is important to always keep an eye out for them when you are in open bodies of water. Sometimes they travel to other destinations. While you don’t want to be afraid of the water due to the risk of a shark being present, you do want to take some precautions.

Sources:

https://seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/sharks-and-rays/habitat-and-distribution

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150611-sharks-epic-migration-revealed

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark#Range_and_habitat

http://www.iucnredlist.org/

BioExpedition Publishing © 2017.