JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville University announced what may be a first for St. Johns River research.
JU said that on June 9, its Marine Science graduate students made a scientific recording of a bull shark in the St. Johns River.
The young shark, coming in a two feet, eight inches, was captured near the Buckman Bridge. FWC reports that fully grown bull sharks can reach as long as eleven feet.
While most sharks are ocean dwellers, some species, like bull sharks, adapt well to freshwater environments.
While the St. Johns Riverkeeper has said the sharks are known to occasionally make their way into the river, there is not much research on the local population.
Watch the release:
This new data is critical to the students’ ongoing graduate projects.
Student Vincent Migliore Jr. seeks to document the number of bull sharks in the river, and whether it serves as a nursing ground.
After observing the shark’s umbilical cord scar, JU says the nursing ground theory is promising, but needs more sampling to confirm.
Student Dani Sellers’ graduate project focuses on the concentration of heavy metals in the river’s bull sharks, which could provide more insight into the health of the river system.
The catch was made by students Migliore Jr., Sellers, Josh Assink, Sarah Gaston, and Riley Breshears, according to JU.
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