tampa residents

Tampa Residents Find Sharks in Hillsborough River

Pups are fun, but shark pups? That's what a group of Tampa residents found in mid-June.

The folks were fishing and caught bull shark pups in the Hillsborough River.

Some Tampa residents were puzzled by the appearance of the shark pups.

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Others who have fished in the Hillsborough River have seen bull sharks up to seven feet swimming by.

It seems that seeing bull sharks and pups in the river isn't an uncommon occurrence. In fact, it happens every year.

Here's a drone video from a while back:

Eric Hovland, an associate curator and shark expert at The Florida Aquarium in Tampa, says female bull sharks head into the rivers at this time to have the pups.

And, yes, the bull sharks can live in freshwater. He says female bull sharks have been found as far north as Illinois in the Mississippi River.

It is legal to catch the bull sharks in Florida. With a license, anglers can catch one per day.

However, everyone in the fishing group released the pups so they could grow.

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