AUSTIN, Texas — It has already been viewed more than 700,000 times: a viral video on TikTok of a Texas man catching a bull shark in the Guadalupe River. But is it real?
The 230-mile-long river has long been a popular tubing destination that stretches from the Texas coast to the Hill Country. However, in the video, TikTok user Jonathanaguayo5 doesn't share where the bull shark was caught along the Guadalupe River.
Are there bull sharks in Texas rivers?
It's not out of the question that the video of a man catching a bull shark could be real. However, the city of New Braunfels took to social media to debunk any sharks in their neck of the woods.
"TUBERS, BE AWARE: Despite recent social media posts warning tubers about a shark being caught in “the Guadalupe River,” there have been no reports of sharks in the relatively shallow fresh water of the Guadalupe River in New Braunfels," the city posted to Facebook.
According to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD), bull sharks are common off the Texas coast. Unlike most sharks, they can live in fresh and salt water and have been found many miles upriver from the Gulf of Mexico.
In 2017, a dead bull shark was found in the Trinity River near Liberty, Texas, which is approximately 40 miles north of Galveston Bay. While evidence suggested the shark was dragged into the water, experts said it was entirely possible for the creature to swim up the Trinity River and that they could cover approximately 200 miles overnight.
TPWD also states that bull sharks have been found as far inland as Iowa in the Mississippi River.