iStockphoto / Steve Hinczynski
A drone being used to track fish captured an encounter with a bull shark that would be classified as a ‘fish story’ if there wasn’t video evidence.
Josh Jorgensen from BlacktipH was flying his fishing drone to track a pair of huge Cobia. As he astutely points out, Cobia are among the best tasting fish in the world.
After spotting the pair of cobia swimming nearby the boat of ‘his buddy Carl’ (Captain Carl Torresson) he alerted his friend to the fish’s location. Carl sped over to catch the fish and was hooked up to one of the Cobia when a bull shark ‘attacked’ the boat’s engines.
The video can also be seen on BlacktipH’s TikTok channel.
I put ‘attack’ in air quotes because it’s impossible to say for certain what the bull shark was doing. But the aggressive behavior here is undeniable.
Bull Sharks have a global reputation for aggression. That reputation is dubious at best but they have accounted for the third-most unprovoked shark attacks worldwide and third-most fatal unprovoked attacks, according to all available data from 1580 to present day.
Josh’s ‘buddy Carl’ and his crew were safe in their boat, to be sure. But they must’ve been quite startled when the bull shark charged their engines while he was battling the Cobia. All attention was being paid to the fish and suddenly there’s a frenzied bull shark knocking on the rear door.
Fun facts about bull sharks
As a species, bulls set themselves apart from the pack in a few interesting ways. We’ve already noted their aggression, but the specific numbers are 26 fatal unprovoked attacks and 93 non-fatal unprovoked attacks.
Unlike most shark species, they can live in brackish and fresh water for extended periods of time. A study published in 2021 determined 2 bull sharks had swam up the Mississippi River and were found in St. Louis.
According to Oceana, the reason bulls are capable of living in brackish and fresh water is their unique “advanced ability to osmoregulate, or maintain a constant concentration of water in their bodies despite changing salinity levels in the water.”
Another fun fact is they have a greater bite force than Great White Sharks. A 2012 study found that bull sharks have a bite force of 5,914 Newtons which is more than Great Whites.
Also, unlike most shark species, bull sharks are viviparous. That means they give birth to live young. Most sharks give birth by laying eggs.
The more you know!