‘Big old bull shark’ spotted prowling for prey in two feet of water, Texas video shows
A bull shark was recently spotted prowling for prey near the beach in Galveston, Texas, video shows.
The video, taken from on top of a fishing pier by Galveston resident Blake Becks, shows the shark swimming slowly in the shallow water. Visitors gathered on the pier can be heard off camera, sounding impressed and perhaps a little unsettled.
“Big old bull shark,” Becks says while recording, later adding “it’s one big enough to ruin the day.”
Becks estimates the shark was roughly five-and-a-half feet long, moving through water about two feet deep.
“The kids were very excited,” Becks said in a Facebook post on Oct 8, sharing the video.
At one point, the shark is seen taking a bite of a dead fish floating in the surf, but as Becks points out in the video, the shark doesn’t seem that interested. It might have more of an appetite for a stingray or flounder, he says.
“That’s some Florida level stuff right there,” one person commented on the post.
“This is why I stay out of the water,” commented another. “Even when the water isn’t this clear, they are still there.”
Adult bull sharks weigh anywhere between 200 and 500 pounds, according to the National Wildlife Federation, and males can reach up to 7 feet in length. The species has a tendency to wander into shallow areas, making contact with humans more likely, thereby contributing to their reputation for ferociousness.
While shark attacks are rare, “bull sharks are often considered to be the most dangerous sharks to humans because of their aggressive tendencies and ability to migrate up rivers,” according to the NWF.
On average, less than 20 people are killed in shark attacks across the world each year, the federation reports.
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