A story of a boy being attacked in Lake Michigan from a 1975 Man Eating Sharks book proved to be false after the author admitted he just wanted to capitalize on the Jaws craze. He was surprised and pleased when he heard we were finally tackling his question, three years (and several swimming seasons) later. Nor does it appear that any George Lawson or John Adler has ever given an interview about the shark attack. In Lake Michigan, is it true that there are freshwater sharks? They can also advise on off-limit areas to humans for the protection of wildlife. Although this may sound terrifying to those hitting rivers, lakes, and swimming holes to cool off in the summer heat, they pose little danger to people. He doesn’t remember where the story of the Lake Michigan shark attack comes from, but definitely recalls reading about bull sharks. On top of that, Lake Michigan is about 2,000 miles from the nearest ocean. Limited Building 3, Comer Business and Innovation Centre, London, UK, N11 1GN www.neptunedocs.co.uk It would have to navigate down the St. Lawrence Seaway, down the St. Lawrence River, into Lake Ontario. There’s also the Bull Shark, but there have been no confirmed reports of such a creature being caught in Lake Michigan. Now you say sharks aren’t in lakes but I heard on Shark Week that a bull shark can live in fresh water, so I’m convinced Lake Michigan has bull sharks!” “F. However, there's the canal connecting the Mississippi river issue. “The fish that are in the Great Lakes are overall much smaller than the prey items (sharks) can get in the ocean,” she said. lake nicaragua shark attack. Authorities suspect that more than a hundred people reported missing in the area in the last decade may have fallen under the fangs of the gigantic beast, several local residents even suspecting its presence for a long time. Stretching for over 3,800 miles, the coastline is the longest of all the Great Lakes and encompasses over 30,000 islands. (Logan Jaffe/WBEZ), lists a shark attack in Lake Michigan in 1955, only that warm during a few weeks each year. Sharks are native to saltwater habitats and Lake Michigan is a 100% freshwater lake. This is not cool to me not one bit. It’s the kind of “fact” that makes you blink and wonder if you read it correctly. UNREAL!! And the group says in their about text, “Track the whereabouts of Whales in Lake Michigan… The bite was unprovoked and non-fatal. There was a bull shark spotted in Lake Michigan at Chicago in 1955. Despite being a freshwater lake, Lake Nicaragua contains sharks that have adapted to freshwater life. He admits they may have made up some of the details — fast and loose fact-finding didn’t begin with the internet age — but doesn’t think they made up that particular story. Local campground owner, Robert Helm, says he had warned authorities about the series of disappearances to no avail. We're hearing reports from guys fishing near the upper harbor warm water discharge (here in Marquette) of seeing a shark in Lake Superior. While we’re at it, Orca whales are not attacking bears along a river in Alaska, and there are no whales off the coast of … “Klaxons are roaring, go out and buy everything you can. — Elegant Seagulls (@elegantseagulls) April 1, 2013. U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Sidney Johnson reassured local residents that the occurrence of such a predator in the region’s waters “is highly unlikely” as sharks are not well adapted to freshwater systems, dealing great damage to their kidneys and respiratory system. HULL, QUEBEC – Hazardous invasive species experts with the Canadian government have recently approved a pilot project to both control the spread of invasive grass carp in Lake Huron and support biodiversity by re-introducing 6,000 carcharhinus Algonquin, an ancient species of freshwater shark that once thrived in the waters of this region. The Bull Shark, for example, has the incredible capacity to survive and adapt in freshwater environments. That doesn’t explain how one might possibly have been swimming along the Lake Michigan shoreline on July 11. The Global Shark Attack database actually does list a source as “F. okay so about 2 days ago my dad was telling me that there are such things as 'freshwater sharks' i googled it, and he was right. Of course, he means Steven Spielberg’s mega-hit film, which sparked tremendous fascination and fear of sharks. Unlikely. Could there be sharks in lake orion? We searched public records for those names (including spelling variations) in the Chicago area, and found two George Lawsons and two John Adlers who could have been the right age in 1955; the Lawsons would have been under 16 and the Adlers over 18. All characters appearing in the articles in this website – even those based on real people – are entirely fictional and any resemblance between them and any person, living, dead or undead, is purely a miracle. Shark in LAKE ONTARIO!! Connected to Lake Michigan by the Straits of Mackinac, Lake Huron is the 4th largest lake in the world. The details are thin. So, yes, bull sharks can swim into freshwater and we think they can stay there for several years possibly.” Furthermore, Willink says bull sharks have been documented as far as 2,000 miles upstream in the Amazon River, a few hundred miles farther than the distance between Lake Michigan and the nearest saltwater. If so, nobody involved with Man-Eating Sharks remembers what it was. They have also been found in the Potomac River in Maryland as well. For starters, the Great Lakes are freshwater lakes, but sharks live in saltwater. There are more than 400 species of sharks in the world (or Shaaaaarks if you are from Boston), and a few spend most of their time in freshwater. Can they live in Lake Michigan? Lakes are freshwater, whereas sharks in general can only survive in saltwater. Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior make up the greatest area of freshwater in the world. Advertisement. It actually bit a swimmer. No shark reports have been officially, “scientifically” documented in Lake Michigan. read more. “It would’ve been bad for business in town” he adds, visibly relieved since the capture of the large creature. And one further point. The species: bull shark. Best Answers Rumor has it a young George Lawson was attacked by a shark while swimming at a Chicago beach in 1955. Periodically there are rumors of Bull sharks swimming up the Mississippi River and into the Illinois River to get to Lake Michigan, but this would be an unlikely journey. Phillip Willink admits the Shedd aquarium has several sharks swimming in tanks just a few feet from the waters of Lake Michigan, but promises “We keep them in the building at all times.” Kevin Irons allows a baby shark could arrive in a cargo ship’s ballast water tank, but it would most likely die in the lake. I live 2 miles away from Lake Michigan!! Interestingly, there is a lake monster said to prowl Lake Pepin, the has been affectionately called “Pepie,” so one wonders if sharks are to blame for this phenomenon. There is no such thing as a freshwater Marquette shark. So, there is no species of shark that is native to Lake Michigan. So it is theoretically possible for a bull shark to swim to Lake Michigan, if it could find a viable route. Sharks live in the oceans, and while you sometimes hear of them in brackish rivers, Lake Michigan is nearly 2,000 navigational miles from the nearest ocean. However, Bull Sharks can survive and thrive in fresh water. “I’m not too fond of big bodies of water, especially sharks. Is it possible for sharks to reside in Lake Michigan? There’s also the Bull Shark, but there have been no confirmed reports of such a creature being caught in Lake Michigan. It's an unspoken assumption that the shark was then killed, as the narrator concludes that Todd gave the shark to a friend and kept the jaws for himself. I go swimming every year in lake michigan to a sand bar really really far out into the water, im usaully with 5 or 6 people but theres a deep canal between one sand bar and the other, we swim across it all the time. “There’s too much little detail there,” he says. That is because there is some most dangerous freshwater fish roaming the river or lake that you swim in. World News Daily Report assumes all responsibility for the satirical nature of its articles and for the fictional nature of their content. Phil Willink, the Senior Research Scientist at the Shedd Aquarium, says the bull shark — the kind of shark named in the Global Shark Attack File — is notorious  for entering freshwater: “It is able to control the salt and other compounds in its blood, to maintain a balance with the water that’s around it, and is able to move back and forth between freshwater and saltwater. In Lake Michigan, is it true that there are freshwater sharks? There have been “fin” sightings as was the case in Frankfort. So, yes, bull sharks can swim into freshwater and we think they can stay there for several years possibly.”. They don't mate or actually give birth in freshwater -- they do this in nearby tidal creeks that have a mix of salinity. Although now official record of it exists, a man was supposedly attacked by a shark in Lake Michigan in 1955. People would check in, but they wouldn’t check out,” he recalls. Try Lake Nicaragua and Lake Pontchartrain - and at the 14th hole of a golf course in Australia! This attack supposedly happened at one of the beaches near Chicago. One path a shark could take to Lake Michigan is the St. Lawrence seaway, entering the St. Lawrence River north of New Brunswick, Canada, and swimming through Lake Ontario, The Wellend Canal near Niagara Falls, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, and finally into Lake Michigan. The great white shark estimated at more than 1,5 tons is the biggest fish ever caught in the region, believe experts. I mean he lived, so it’s not terribly tragic.” Still unsatisfied, she mentioned the possibility of going through hospital records to find a patient named George Lawson in 1955. There aren’t as much food and friends. Todd caught the 8.5-ft long, 368-lb. Dennis” refers to Felix Dennis, who, as it turns out, is a famous and eccentric book and magazine publisher in the UK. Meteorite fragment found in Canada revealed to be fossilized alien feces, Newly discovered species of cockroach named after Donald Trump by Mexican biologist, Two gorillas at San Diego Zoo test positive for COVID-19 after being sexually assaulted by drunk woman, Man with sexual fetish about nasal swabs banned from COVID testing after 192 negative tests, 12-year-old successfully sues parents over “false promises” after not receiving Xbox for Christmas. But bull sharks have been found in the Missisisippi River near St. Louis, MO, and in the Amazon River. Bull sharks can live in freshwater. “When Felix wanted something like that, it was like crash diving,” he says. There are no whales in Lake Superior, big or small. All three verifiable references of George Lawson occur in 1975, the year of Jaws, and a year characterized by intense shark interest world wide. These were the dangerous fish you might find – rarely – in Lake Michigan or around it. This attack supposedly happened at one of the beaches near Chicago. There is a reason why they breath water and we breath air. He was taking pictures of the sunrise at Fort Sheridan Beach July 11 when he snapped the photos. Edited by Newt, 21 January 2009 - 10:40 PM. Adam Kovac asked his version of the question back in 2012, in the early days of the Curious City project. “I’ve owned this campground for the past seventeen years” explains local entrepreneur, Robert Helm. Nope, on second thought don’t imagine that. Furthermore, Willink says bull sharks have been documented as far as 2,000 miles upstream in the Amazon River, a few hundred miles farther than the distance between Lake Michigan and the nearest saltwater. Bull sharks can survive in both saltwater and freshwater, and have been known to frequent the lake. 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