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NORTHERN RIVER SHARK The northern river shark is found in Australia and New Guinea. These sharks have the ability to thrive in fresh water, brackish water, and salt water. Typically, only young northern river sharks stay in rivers; adults are only seen in

It is rare to find a live northern river shark.

saltwater environments. These sharks tend to prefer extremely turbulent waters, which may explain why, as they grow and gain strength, they begin to prefer rough ocean waters to calm river waters. The force of a strong current allows these sharks to conserve energy, as they do not have to put forth as much effort to swim. Northern river sharks are extremely rare, and much like they are with the Ganges shark, scientists are working hard to locate more of these animals so that they can study them and protect them from harm. BULL SHARK Bull sharks are found in shallow coastal waters of Nicaragua, and they are also known for traveling up the Mississippi River in the United States. The vast majority of river shark sightings are bull sharks, as they are far more common than other types of freshwater sharks. While there is not much research on the interactions of freshwater sharks and humans, it’s likely that bull sharks are responsible for most reported freshwater shark bites. Bull sharks are known for being aggressive toward both humans and other animals. Bull sharks spend most of their time in salt water, but venture into fresh water to have their babies, which may explain why they are especially territorial in fresh water. Rivers provide a safe place for bull sharks to have their pups , free from the predators they must defend themselves against in the open ocean.

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