Pictures of a bull shark corpse found in the Trinity River north of Galveston have been circulating the internet. The pictures call into question whether or not such a species could swim inland. According to Jared Moser, in a report by KVUE ABC, he found the body of the dead shark decomposing just off the river while he was four-wheeling in Kenefick. And although evidence marked the site as a clear dump location for the body, experts do say it is possible for bull sharks to swim that far up the river.
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Dead Bull Shark in Trinity River Was Dumped Evidence Suggests
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Photo: Wikimedia
Randy Button, the Texas game warden called to the location, identified early on July 12 that the 5-foot bull shark had clearly been dumped. Button said that tracks were visible showing the shark had been dragged into the water, and investigation revealed that a hook in its mouth still remained.
In an interview with KVUE, Professor Jaime Alvarado of the Ocean and Coastal Studies department of Texas A&M in Galveston noted, “Bull sharks are one species that we actually classify as marine and fresh water. They venture into waters that are extremely warm and they can move into much colder waters.” He also identified that bull sharks, in particular, are able to sustain themselves in fresh water over a long period of time. Examples of this have been documented in sightings of bull sharks in the Mississippi River, near Davenport, Iowa, thousands of miles upstream from the Gulf of Mexico. Similarly, in the state of Texas itself, there are unverified reports of bull sharks being fished out of fresh water below the Lake Livingston Dam, north of Houston. “It’s a species of shark that can cover long distances. They can cover perhaps 200 miles overnight,” said Alvarado.
Photo: Facebook/Underwater World
A report in National Geographic stated, “While bull sharks are commonly found along coastlines, bays, and harbors, they also frequent a most uncommon shark habitat—freshwater rivers. The species has been spotted 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) up the Amazon River in South America and dwell in Lake Nicaragua, a freshwater lake in Central America. Bull sharks have traveled up the Mississippi River as far north as Illinois and are regularly spotted in India’s Ganges. Their ability to tolerate freshwater is rooted in salt retention.”
Further detail provided by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department identifies that unlike most other species, bull sharks have the ability to retain salts while they excrete excess water. Subsequently, they employ this tactic while in freshwater. They are the most common species of shark found in Texas, and bays around the state often serve as nursery sites for their young.
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