The Discovery of Bull Shark Species (Carcharhinus leucas) in the Pangkajene River, South Sulawesi
By PR FPK On Friday, October 15 th, 2021 ·

The head of the research group “Environment and Aquatic Resources Management” Dr. Veryl Hasan, S.Pi., M.Si., managed to find the Bull Shark species Carcharhinus leucas in Sulawesi, Indonesia in 2020 based on his publication “First inland record of Bullshark Carcharhinus leucas (Müller & Henle, 1839) (Carcharhiniformes: Cacharhinidae) in Celebes, Indonesia”.

The bull shark Carcharhinus leucas (Müller & Henle, 1839) is a type of euryhaline shark and is a common species living in marine and coastal river environments and widely distributed along the continental coasts of all tropical and subtropical seas and rivers, lakes and estuaries. Carcharhinus leucas is designated a Critically Endangered animal by the IUCN Red List because its habitat is affected by anthropogenic climate change. This species has been recorded in several countries such as South America, South Africa, Central America, Iraq, West Asia South Asia; Southeast Asia and some rivers Amazon River, Mississippi River, Zambezi River, Tigris River and Ganges River.

Although knowledge of C. leucas and its distribution has increased over the past few decades, its boundaries and range in some areas are unclear, especially in inland waters. The discovery of the Bull Shark C. leucas by Dr. Veryl Hasan in the Pangkajene River, Pangkajene Regency, South Sulawesi Province became the first record discovery from Sulawesi, and got the fourth record beyond the previous record in Indonesia (Papua, Kalimantan, and Sumatra).

A single specimen collected from the Pangkajene River, South Sulawesi has the characteristics of the Carcharhinidae family: short and broad snout; a large, elongated, curved mouth; small eyes on the sides of the head; two dorsal fins: the first dorsal fin is quite large, much shorter than the caudal fin, and its base lies above the gap between the base of the pectoral and pelvic fins; pectoral fins broad, with a narrow pointed tip. This shark was identified as juvenile C. leucas with a triangular first dorsal fin, angled back, originating above or slightly behind the pectoral insertion, snout much shorter than mouth width and bluntly rounded.

Side view of C. leucas caught in the Pangkajene River, Pangkajene Regency, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia

The new record of C. leucas can help increase knowledge about this species as it expands the range of distribution of the species in Sulawesi and shows that the inland habitat is the migration route for this species in the Wallace area. In the future Dr. Veryl Hasan will continue to conduct research on the management of the environment and aquatic resources. For those of you who are interested in this research we openly look forward to your participation. Please contact Dr. Veryl Hasan, S.Pi., M.Si.

Author : Megana Duanassurya

Editor : Dr. Veryl Hasan, S.Pi., M.Si.

Email : veryl.hasan@fpk.unair.ac.id