A Bull Shark swims through a mangrove swamp.

The great diversity of sharks is reflected in their distribution around the world. Sharks have adapted to occupy every kind of saltwater ecosystem on every continent. They can be found in open oceans, coral lagoons, mangrove swamps, river estuaries and shallow seas. Some species of shark regularly frequent freshwater too, for example - the bull shark is known to travel over 3,000 kilometres up the Amazon River.

Many people assume that sharks are mostly confined to warm water. It is true that many well-known species of shark, such as the tiger shark, are best adapted for life in warm tropical seas - although tigers have been found in the icy waters of the north Atlantic off the coast of Iceland. But other species prefer cooler water, including the infamous great white shark, and even the coldest seas are home to a wide variety of shark species. Wherever you live, the chances are there are sharks of some kind very close to your country’s nearest coastline.