Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Elasmobranchii · Order: Carcharhiniformes · Family: Carcharhinidae · Genus: Carcharhinus.

Accepted name: Carcharhinus leucas · Authority: (Valenciennes, 1839) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 105792.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Carcharhinus azureus (Gilbert & Starks, 1904); Carcharhinus nicaraguensis (Gill, 1877); Carcharhinus vanrooyeni Smith, 1958; Carcharhinus zambezensis (Peters, 1852); Carcharias azureus Gilbert & Starks, 1904; Carcharias leucas Valenciennes, 1839; Carcharias spenceri Ogilby, 1910; Carcharias zambesensis Peters, 1852; Carcharias zambezensis Peters, 1852; Carcharicus leucas (Valenciennes, 1839); Carcharinus leucas (Valenciennes, 1839); Carcharinus zambesensis (Peters, 1852); Carcharinus zambezensis (Peters, 1852); Eulamia nicaraguensis Gill, 1877; Galeolamna bogimba Whitley, 1943; Galeolamna greyi mckaili Whitley, 1945; Galeolamna leucas (Valenciennes, 1839); Galeolamna mckaili Whitley, 1945; Prionodon platyodon Poey, 1860; Squalus obtusus Poey, 1861; Squalus platyodon (Poey, 1860).

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=105792 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Carcharhinus leucas. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 360 cm · Common length: 260 cm · Depth range: 1–164 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: fusiform / normal · Vulnerability index: 81.7 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: A coastal and freshwater shark inhabiting shallow waters especially in bays, estuaries, rivers, and lakes (Ref. 244). It readily penetrates far up rivers and hypersaline bays and littoral lagoons (Ref. 9997, 44894, 81283). Capable of covering great distances (up to 180 kilometers in 24 hours), moving between fresh and brackish water at random (Ref. 44894). Adults often found near estuaries and freshwater inflows to the sea; young enter rivers and may be found hundreds of km from the sea (Ref. 4967, 44894, 58304). Feeds on bony fishes, other sharks, rays, mantis shrimps, crabs, squid, sea snails, sea urchins, mammalian carrion, sea turtles, and occasionally garbage (Ref. 244, 5578, 44894). Viviparous (Ref. 50449). Gives birth to litters of up to 13 young (Ref. 26938, 44894). Size at birth is 56-81 cm TL (Ref. 81623). Sexual maturity is attained after 10-15 years (at a length between 160-200 centimeters) (Ref. 44894). Though not commercially important, this species is a good food fish (Ref. 12484). Utilized fresh, fresh-frozen or smoked for human consumption, fins for soup, hide for leather, liver for oil, and carcass for fishmeal (Ref. 244). Very hardy and lives well in captivity (Ref. 244). This large shark is potentially dangerous to man (Ref. 81283), probably the most dangerous species of tropical shark (Ref. 244), and it is repeatedly implicated in attacks on humans (Ref. 4967, 44894); attacks in fresh water are rare (Ref. 44894).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 873) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Carcharhinus-leucas.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

153,246 georeferenced occurrence records for Carcharhinus leucas are published through GBIF from 73 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 141 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 107 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: Australia (92,392); United States of America (49,398); Mozambique (6,162); South Africa (2,934); Puerto Rico (444).

The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2418036) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2418036&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=105792 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Carcharhinus leucas (Valenciennes in Müller & Henle, 1839) as Vulnerable (code VU). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 39372) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/39372/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2418036) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2418036/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

While the bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) is also called "river shark" and "Ganges shark", it should not be confused with the river sharks of the genus Glyphis; they are often sympatric, living within the same river systems.

The number of Glyphis species may be higher than is currently accepted, though research is hampered by the secretive habits of these sharks. This genus was thought to contain five different species, but molecular studies revealed that Glyphis gangeticus has an irregular distribution in the Indo-West Pacific region, and that the Bornean and Irrawaddy River sharks fall within the variation of Glyphis gangeticus. Some authorities continue to separate these species.

The genus Glyphis is closest to the Lamiopsis.

The recognized species in this genus are:

Glyphis gangeticus (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1839) (Ganges shark)

Glyphis garricki L. J. V. Compagno, W. T. White & Last, 2008 (northern river shark)

Glyphis glyphis (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1839) (speartooth shark)

The only known prehistoric species is Glyphis pagoda (Noetling, 1901) from the middle and late Miocene of Myanmar. Glyphis hastalis was initially described by Agassiz (1843) from the Early Eocene-aged London Clay of England, and is technically the type species of the genus, but its classification within Glyphis is now thought to be erroneous. In addition, fossil teeth of an indeterminate Glyphis, potentially either the modern G. glyphis or G. garricki, are known from the Late Miocene of Brunei.

Their precise geographic range is uncertain, but the known species are documented in parts of South Asia, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Australia. Of the accepted species, the Ganges shark is restricted to freshwater, while the northern river shark and the speartooth shark are also found in coastal marine waters. They have been found in nine different tidal areas, which consist of muddy waters with a low salinity. Their placement in connection to coastal marine waters indicates that they are usually born around October.

River sharks remain very poorly known to researchers; they were thought to be extinct until the end of the 20th century, when small populations were discovered in Borneo and Northern Australia.

Glyphis gangeticus uses the Ganges River as nursery grounds and the birthplace of many Ganges shark offspring, however the population has been severely diminished owing to a long history of fishing and other pollution-related issues in the Northern Arabian Sea. Additionally, India, where the Ganges river flows, is reported to be one of the top three greatest shark and ray capturers in the world, accounting for up to nine percent of reported global landings (Jabado et al., 2018).

Source: Wikipedia: River shark — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_shark (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.