Rivers can lead a long way inland. 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. They have also been reported as far up the Mississippi River as Illinois. Bull sharks, especially young ones, can travel far up rivers.

A shark from the sea does not have to stay in the sea. A bull shark can swim in fresh water as well as in the salty sea, and 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 (about 100 feet) deep.

Young bull sharks often grow up in river mouths and bays, where the water is not very salty. A newborn pup is about 55 to 80 centimetres long and is born able to swim on its own. A bull shark mother carries her pups for 10 to 11 months. She has between 1 and 13 pups at a time. In the Gulf of Mexico, bull shark pups are born from April to June.

Bull sharks are opportunistic hunters. They eat many different kinds of prey, such as fish, rays, crabs and squid. A bull shark usually hunts alone.

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. These are the largest numbers reported, not the size of the usual bull shark.

Bull sharks are caught in fisheries around the world, though they are rarely the kind of fish the fishers are after. Because bull sharks use estuaries and fresh water, they are more exposed to harm from people, and their nursery waters near shore are at risk. As of November 2026, the IUCN Red List rates the bull shark as Vulnerable, and its numbers are going down.

Still, the bull shark's home is wide. Bull sharks live in warm coastal water around the world. In one place a young shark grows up in a river mouth. In another a young shark swims up a long river. The sea and the river both belong to the bull shark.

Words to know

• opportunistic: eats what's there
• fisheries: fishing businesses
• estuaries: river mouths