A bull shark can swim in fresh water as well as in the salty sea. It can swim up a river from the sea. Bull sharks live in shallow water near the coast, in bays, estuaries, rivers and lakes. They are usually found in water less than 30 metres deep. They live in warm coastal water around the world.

How far can a bull shark go? Bull sharks have been found hundreds of kilometres from the sea. They have been reported more than 2,000 miles up the Amazon River, in Peru. A bull shark can do this because it can swim in fresh water as well as in the salty sea.

A bull shark does not eat just one kind of food. It eats fish, rays, crabs and squid. Bull sharks are opportunistic hunters, which means they eat many different kinds of prey.

Female bull sharks are bigger than male bull sharks. As of November 2026, the most a bull shark is reported to weigh is 316.5 kilograms (about 698 pounds). The longest one reported was 400 centimetres (about 13 feet) long.

A bull shark usually hunts alone. Over short distances, bull sharks have been recorded swimming at about 19 kilometres an hour (about 11 miles an hour).

A bull shark mother carries her pups for 10 to 11 months before they are born. She gives birth to live pups, between 1 and 13 at a time. In the Gulf of Mexico, bull shark pups are born from April to June. Each pup is born able to swim on its own. A newborn bull shark pup is about 55 to 80 centimetres long.

Where do the pups grow up? Young bull sharks often grow up in river mouths and bays, where the water is not very salty. For a bull shark, a river is one more place to swim. It can swim in fresh water as well as in the sea.

Words to know

• estuaries: river mouths
• opportunistic: eats what's there
• pup: baby shark

The short version

A bull shark can swim in fresh water as well as in the salty sea, so it can swim up rivers from the coast. Bull sharks live in shallow, warm coastal water around the world. They eat many kinds of prey and usually hunt alone.

Quick facts

• Bull sharks live in shallow water near the coast, in bays, estuaries, rivers and lakes.
• They have been reported more than 2,000 miles up the Amazon River, in Peru.
• As of November 2026, the most a bull shark is reported to weigh is 316.5 kilograms.
• A bull shark mother carries her pups for 10 to 11 months before they are born.