Shark Species

What Does A Bull Shark Eat?

What Does A Bull Shark Eat?

Among all the species, The Bull sharks are considered to be the deadliest creature in the shark’s kingdom. The researchers believe that they are the aggressive species that tend to hunt not only the aquatic species but also attack the humans under the water. Let’s find out what these hunters include in their diet to maintain their energy levels.

What Is The Habitat Of The Bull Sharks?

Bull sharks are found in almost all the oceans of the world, they prefer to live in shallow coastal water at an approximate depth of 100 feet or 30 meters. Sometimes these species migrate toward the freshwater bodies and spend a long period over there, especially in the breeding season. Harbors, bays, river mouths, and lagoons are the common visiting areas of the Bull shark.

How To Distinguish Bull Shark From Others?

Bull sharks have a dark greyish stout body with a round blunt snout. The dominant feature of the Bull shark is that they have large triangular-shaped dorsal fins and very small eyes. These species can reach a length of 7 to 11 feet at maximum; however, the largest one can have a length of 13 feet reported.

What Does A Bull Shark Eat?

The most common dietary item that a Bull shark prefers to eat are:

  • Sea turtles
  • Sea birds
  • Seals
  • Eels
  • Dolphins
  • Sea otters
  • Stingrays
  • Squids
  • Mackerels
  • Sea bass
  • Oysters
  • Lobsters
  • Scallops
  • Bluefish
  • Flounders
  • Marlins
  • Shrimps
  • Tuna

What Does Bull Shark Prefer To Eat In The Wild?

The Bull shark feeds on almost all the things it finds in its captivity. In wild habitats, the most preferred food of Bull sharks is small fishes, invertebrates, and small sharks. Not only this, these species exhibit omnivorous feeding patterns and are observed to eat algae and plants as well.

In Captivity, What Do Bull Sharks Prefer?

Due to the aggressive nature of Bull sharks, it is sometimes very difficult to keep them in an artificial environment. But when in captivity, these species feeds on salmons, small fishes, shrimps’ pallets, algae round, spirulina flakes, tropical flakes, or bottom feeder tablets.

How Much Do Bull Sharks Eats?

Despite their large body, Bull sharks only feed on food items that cover only 3% of their total body weight twice a week. This percentage is enough to maintain their body weight between 200 to 500 pounds.

How Do Bull Sharks Hunt Their Prey?

The Bull shark adopts a very unique mechanism of “bump and bite” which means that they first bump hard into the target to make it unconscious and then bite it. Another way of hunting prey is that, as these species have very poor vision in the murky waters, they use a strong sense of smell to determine the location of the prey.

Final Verdict

Bull sharks are known to be one of the most aggressive creatures in the oceanic world. These species not only attack the aquatic species violently but also brutally attack humans when getting a chance. The Bull sharks feed on almost everything they found in their vicinity. From small fishes, shrimps, lobsters, eels, seals, and sea turtles, they feed on algae and plants as well.

About the author

Zubaria

I am a Scholar and a dedicated content writer. I am on a mission to stamp out the importance of one of the ocean's most fascinating and remarkable creatures, the sharks, and to let people know about their role in keeping the ecosystem in equilibrium.