This is a massive shark caught in a freshwater river!
Every year scientists are learning more and more about sharks and it turns out these giant ocean predators still have plenty of secrets and mysteries to share. Some of which we are only discovering in recent years as technology to conduct research improves.
Jeremy Wade, of "River Monsters" fame was seeking to help scientists understand one of the bigger mysteries surrounding bull sharks. Why exactly do they regularly venture into freshwater rivers and lakes that are connected to the ocean?
In this excerpt from his show, Wade hooks into a massive 9.5-foot, 500-pound bull shark on South Africa's Breede River. It takes him nearly two hours to wrestle this huge fish in where a team of scientists is waiting to take measurements and tag it for research purposes.
As you saw here, the early assumption was that the bull sharks were entering fresh water to give birth to their young. The discovery that this shark was male changes that assumption. Obviously, something is drawing these sharks here to feed. What that may be will likely require further research on the part of the scientists.
One thing is for sure, bull sharks are being found more and more often in freshwater. It isn't just pros like Jeremy catching bulls in rivers. Plenty of regular fishermen and women are now pulling these toothy ocean predators out of places no one could have ever predicted.
This is one of the reasons many scientists now believe a bull shark was responsible for the two freshwater attacks during the famous "Jersey Shore attacks of 1916." In that incident, a great white was later caught and killed with human remains in its stomach, but scientist now believe multiple animals were likely responsible for those attacks.
In any case, this was an amazing catch and it's frightening to think these big sharks may be lurking just beneath the surface of any river, lake or stream connected to the ocean!
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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