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Toothhound
Carcharhinidae

Carcharhinus leucas

Bull shark
MiocenePliocenePleistoceneRecentcommon

Stout, broad triangular blade with fine serrations — a workhorse of the Carcharhinid family. The bulk and broad root tell it apart from sand tigers and tigers.

Typical size
0.4–1.25″
Trophy size
1.5″+
Age range
0.012–5.3 Ma
Body length

How to ID it in the field

  • Stout broad-based triangle, blade much wider than tall
  • Even fine serrations across the entire blade
  • Distally inclined (leaning sideways) lateral teeth
  • Broad squared-off root
Quick reference
Shape
serrated leaf
Serrations
fine
Cusplets
none
Root
broad bilobed
Color
Black, slate, brown

Sample reference images

Use these visual references to compare angle, wear, and silhouette before making a final ID.

Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) — Alberto Collareta, Claudio Di Celma, Giulia Bosio, Pietro Paolo Pierantoni, Elisa Malinverno, Olivier Lambert, Felix Georg Marx, Walter Landini, Mario Urbina & Giovanni Bianucci
Reference 1
📷 Alberto Collareta, Claudio Di Celma, Giulia Bosio, Pietro Paolo Pierantoni, Elisa Malinverno, Olivier Lambert, Felix Georg Marx, Walter Landini, Mario Urbina & Giovanni Bianucci · CC BY 4.0 · Commons

Often confused with

Best locations