The Bull shark gets its name from its sturdy appearance and aggressive nature. In French, the Bull shark is known as "requin bouledogue". In Spanish it is known as "tiburon sarda". It is known by many different names throughout its range including "Zambezi shark" and "Van Rooyen's shark" in Africa, "Ganges shark" (India), "Nicaragua shark" (Central America), and "Freshwater whaler", "Estuary whaler", and "Swan River whaler" in Australia. In English it is also known as the "Shovelnose shark", "Square-nose shark", "River shark", "Slipway grey shark", "Ground shark", and "Cub shark".