Bull Shark California??

Question

Bull Sharks are one of those weird creatures that are in the ocean but can live in fresh water (rivers, lakes) for a while. They also prefer warm water. I was reading in the wikipedia entry on bull sharks that supposedly bull sharks have been seen in fresh bodies of water in central California, near Yosemite (!?!?!) First of all they'd have to make their way up to the bay area where the water is cold because that's where rivers in that area dump into the ocean, and the water is way cold in the bay area. Supposedly bulls on rare occasions are seen in southern California like SD or LA. There's no reference on this in the wikipedia page. Do you think someone made this up? Can one buy a bull shark at an aquarium shop and someone could have dumped it there? Or do you know of an incident for fact that a bull shark actually came up to the bay area, entered a river system and ended up in the central valley? The latter question is what I'm really curious about. Thanks.

-Physicx

Answer 1

i have heard about sightings in california, there are a lot of theories and all, but i think that it mightve went up the bay to chase some fish, maybe there was that fish mating thing where they go north or something.  but im just guessing.

Answer 2

There is a good chance the animals have made it to Yosemite.

That kind of thing happens all the time.

Answer 3

Well, there's absolutely no way you could ever own a Bull Shark. They are one of (if not the) most dangerous sharks living today. So no one could buy a Bull shark without intent to put it in another aquarium, officially.

They are really neat sharks though. Until the 1970s, researchers thought the sharks in Lake Nicaragua were a separate species because there was no way for the sharks to move in or out. It was discovered that they were jumping along the rapids just like salmon. Isn't that odd? I get weird mental pictures of huge sharks jumping like salmon.

It's rare to find them in southern California fresh water (even rarer further north). But they have been found in the Mississippi River as far upstream as Illinois. So it's possible the article was true.