Bull sharks are thriving in warming water

Juvenile bull sharks are thriving in the warming waters of Texas and Alabama’s estuaries.

Many species struggle to adapt to climate change, but bull sharks are famously resilient — they can survive in fresh water, unlike most sharks, and have been found as far inland as Illinois.

Their numbers have increased in the last 40 years in the US Southwest, and researchers detected a fivefold rise in sightings of baby sharks in Mobile Bay, Alabama, and several Texas rivers.

Adult bulls, named for their stocky build, can be aggressive, but juveniles are no threat to humans, and seem to use the estuaries as protection from bigger predators.

Other fish species have declined, but for bull sharks, so far, it’s “the warmer the better,” one researcher said.