21st century skills library 4 Pit Bull of the Ocean chapter 1 The hook is baited The line is cast The team of Australian scientists looks into the water of the Brisbane River They wait eagerly for the first catch of the day The sudden tug on the line creates excitement as a researcher reels in his catch He doesn’t snag a catfish as he thought he would Instead he pulls a young bull shark into the boat It is not an odd event Bull sharks can live in rivers all around the world The researcher needs to handle the bull shark with care The bull shark is one of the three most dangerous
exploring our oceans 5 look again What does the photo reveal about the bull shark’s HABITAT The bull shark can be found in rivers around the world
sharks in the world It is named in part after the land mammal of the same name This is due to its aggressive behavior and broad short snout It has been called the pit bull of the ocean The bull shark is much smaller than the great white shark Yet some scientists consider the bull shark the most dangerous ocean predator to people This is because it enjoys the same ocean lake and river environments people do The bull shark usually leaves humans alone in spite of its bad reputation Still people should be cautious when in the habitat of the bull shark Bull sharks favor shallow warm waters They lurk along the ocean’s shoreline and swim through murky bays The bull shark typically swims at depths of 3 to 450 feet 0 9 137 m These are also the preferred depths of families splashing in coastline waters and of divers The bull shark’s range extends from Massachusetts to the Gulf of Mexico It is also found around Latin America Brazil Australia Indonesia and the eastern Pacific Ocean 6 21st century skills library
exploring our oceans 7 South America North America Africa Europe Australia Asia RANGE OF BULL SHARK ARCTIC OCEAN PACIFIC OCEAN INDIAN OCEAN ATLANTIC OCEAN PACIFIC OCEAN range map Bull sharks do not live in deep open oceans
