Description:
Bull sharks are robust and heavy-bodied, growing to 11 feet in length.  Body color is typically black to gray dorsally, fading to whitish ventrally.  The snout is shorter than the width of the mouth and rounded when viewed from beneath.  The large pectoral fins are quite broad, tapering to pointed tips.  Two dorsal fins are present, but there is no mid-dorsal ridge between them.  The first dorsal fin is significantly larger than the second and originates in front of the midline of the pectoral fins.  The second dorsal fin is set opposite the anal fin. No spiracle is present.  Like other requiem sharks, the upper lobe of the caudal fin is extended and points upward away from the body.  This species is considered to be dangerous to people and accounts for the third highest number of attacks on humans.

Habitat:
Bull sharks are perhaps the most common shark species to be found in shallow bays and estuaries.  It is common within the Indian River Lagoon, especially during the spring and early summer when pups are born and the lagoon is utilized as a nursery area.  It is commonly known to enter freshwater and is documented to occur far upstream in some river systems, sometimes hundreds of miles upriver from the coastal zone.  It is rarely observed far offshore.

Similar Species:
Bull sharks are similar in appearance to other sharks of its genus, but is especially close in appearance to the sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus.  However, sandbar sharks tend to be smaller as adults and have a slight mid-dorsal ridge extending between the dorsal fins.

Range:
Bull sharks occur from approximately New York south to Brazil, including Bermuda and  the Gulf of Mexico.  They are also known in the Pacific from Baja, California south through Peru.