Are There Sharks In The Great Lakes Fascinating Facts Revealed

Sharks are groups of large fish that have no bones.There are more than 500 species of sharks in the world. Lake Michigan is one of the five great lakes that has constantly been associated with shark attacks.Almost all of them are myths created by TV programs to gain the attention of people. This largest lake has no documented shark sightings. The deaths in the lake have also given rise to a lot of myths. The deaths have nothing to do with sharks. They are related to the harsh waves and high after level. Did you know, the shark week program has stirred up a lot of shark attack news in Lake Michigan. The shark week has gone to the extent of placing a fake shark in Lake Ontario only to grab the attention of the viewers? To know more such interesting facts keep reading. Once you have finished this article do check out our other articles on Thresher shark facts and are there snakes in Alaska?What dangerous animals live in the Great Lakes?Piranhas: The red bellied pacu piranhas, a vegetarian species with freaky teeth are found in the great lakes. They are unlikely to survive the water temperatures during extreme seasons. Fortunately, they are vegetarians, else the story about this piranha would have been entirely different. They have teeth that are similar to that of humans. They use it to chew on nuts. The terrifying look did cause a lot of fear however after the discovery of several facts proving that they are vegetarian animals, the people are at peace. It is spooky to witness a piranha swimming close to your legs but it is still famous among aquarium fanatics.Snakehead: This is an invasive species with a torpedo shaped body. It is quite long and has elongated dorsal and ventral fins. This species does not pose any threat to humans. They mainly feed on fish which affects the fish population. The fins of the snakehead are extremely strong allowing it to walk on land for about a week. They have sharp teeth that can easily pierce through anything.Sea lamprey: The sea lamprey has a very terrifying look. It is also known as the vampire fish. It has a body similar to that of an eel and a jawless mouth. This species found in the great lakes will not attack humans unless they are famished. They have teeth that are attached to the target. These sharp teeth slowly grin into the prey’s body, sucking out all the blood and essential fluids. Luckily attacks on humans are rare. They are also less aggressive with humans.Bull shark: Bull sharks have been spotted in the Mississippi River near the St Louis area rarely. Several locks and dams in the Illinois river made it hard for the bull sharks to pass through the Mississippi River leading to the Michigan lake. These sharks are extremely aggressive and can shred the victim into pieces in just a few minutes.Fun fact: Most sharks cannot survive in freshwater environments. The bull shark is one of the few sharks that have the ability to adapt to freshwater conditions. They are not true freshwater sharks. They have specialized kidneys that can recycle salt trapped within the kidneys. This helps them maintain their salt levels which have a great effect on their lifespan.Has there ever been a shark attack in Lake Michigan?There are no evidential shark sightings or shark attacks in the deepwater of lake Michigan. People have reported sightings of dead bull sharks.We do not know for sure if there was an attack in lake Michigan. Most people say that the stories heard are just hoaxes. The non profit Shark Research Institute’s Global Shark Attack File, which compiles a catalog of every reported shark attack in recent history, published a shark attack in Lake Michigan in 1955. A book called the man eating sharks, published in 1975 also has a story about this attack. The details regarding the attack are vague. The name of the victim is George Lawson. He was probably bitten on the right leg by a bull shark. The bite was major but was not fatal. People call it a myth as there is no way the shark would have been able to get past the barriers like the electric barrier and magnetic repellant system that line the Illinois river which repels invasive species. This must have prevented the shark from reaching Lake Michigan. Even if it reached, there is no way for such a huge shark to not cause a commotion or to not be spotted at least by a dozen people. There is no evidence to prove that the attack ever happened. The water is also too cold during the winter for sharks to survive. Bull sharks prefer warm water temperatures. There is a lot of other complications too. If a shark was to enter Lake Michigan it should break the dams that line the St Lawrence River region and survive Niagara Falls both of which are impossible.Did you know, most of the time people mistake a lake sturgeon for a bull shark? The fins of lake sturgeon are slightly similar to that of sharks. They are mainly found near dams.Why is Lake Michigan the deadliest lake?Though stories about the deadly animals in lake Michigan are terrifying, these animals do not cause much harm to humans. There is more to it. Out of all the five great lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario), Lake Michigan is said to be the deadliest for the following reason.In the past 10 years, 978 people have drowned in the great lakes, out of which 94 drowned in lake Michigan. Since 2015 there has been a spike in the number of drownings in Lake Michigan. People on vacation who go to take a swim at the lake Michigan often do not come back. This is due to the fluctuating speed of the cold water waves. It might look like the waves are calm but in just a moment the current can change producing big waves and drowning people. On average, 40 people die every year in Michigan lake. This is the reason why it is referred to as the deadliest lake.What is the most dangerous shark?Bull sharks are considered to be the most dangerous sharks in the world. They are feared more than tiger sharks.They are capable of swimming and hunting shallow waters. This means they can easily come to water areas used by humans. We are much closer to them and given their aggressive nature they are considered to be extremely dangerous. They mainly feed on other fish and shark species. In fact, we are not even their preference. They only attack humans out of curiosity. Their hunting technique called the bump and bite technique is quite intelligent. These large sharks initially bump their prey making them lose balance. Once they have lost balance it quickly proceeds to bite them with the sharp teeth enclosed in the strong jaws. After the first bite, it locks the prey, the prey is unable to move due to the strength of the bull shark’s jaws and will most likely surrender. It is one of the top three dangerous sharks in the world. There is a total of 121 attacks on humans out of which 25 were fatal.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for are there sharks in the Great Lakes? then why not take a look at are there sharks in Lake Michigan? or purrrfect facts about the ragamuffin cat kids will love?

Sharks are groups of large fish that have no bones.