Fish Index: Bull Shark

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Horn Shark (Heterodontus francisci)

The Horn Shark or Heterodontus francisci is a nocturnal type of bull shark. This shark reaches lengths of about 4' and can weigh in at as much as 22lbs. The Horn Shark has sort of a camouflage coloration of black and brown spots all around its body.

Normally found from central California to the Gulf of California, Mexico this fish is not considered to be dangerous, but will bite if harassed. They also have a very unquie defense mechanism, two sharp horns on their backs that make it tougher for a fish to swallow it. Check out an Angel Shark trying to swallow a Horn Shark in the video below.

The Horn shark is nocturnal and very inactive during the day.

They don't spend a lot of time swimming, in fact they are quite lazy spending most of their time laying on rocks. These sharks feed on small fish that make the mistake of getting too close to these creature. They also feed on mollusks, sea urchins, and crustaceans. To check out this lazy shark in action have a look at the video below which shows a baby Horn Shark...

The Bull Shark or Carcharhinus leucas is one of the most dangerous sharks on the planet. It is known for its erratic, and often aggressive behavior. This combined with the fact that they can tolerate salt and fresh water, and are found in shallow waters makes them all the more dangerous. Bull Sharks get their name from their short, blunt snout and the fact that they will head-butting their prey right before they attack! Only the Great White and Tiger Shark are considered to be more dangerous than the Bull Shark, but this fact is still up for debate as the number of documented shark attacks rise around the world.

Also known as the Nicaragua Shark or Zambezi Shark it is one of the most common sharks in the ocean. It is found all around the world in waters normally no deeper than 40 meters. These sharks can live up to 17 years in the wild.

Since this fish can tolerate fresh water it has been found in some very strange places including in Lake Michigan, Mississippi River, Amazon River, Lake Nicaragua and the Illinois River. Scary to think that the Bull Shark could survive in such places. The females of the species are much larger than the males and can grow up to 12' in length and weigh in at over 600lbs. The Bull Shark is very territorial and will attack without warning, they should be avoided at all costs. For more information on the Bull Shark check out this video...