Shark found swimming in Lake Erie (??!!)

WKYC-TV/Cleveland ^ | 7.30.02

[mhking]

Shark found swimming in Lake Erie

July 29, 2002

CLEVELAND -- Someone found a shark in Lake Erie, alive and well and swimming around.

A swimmer near the Edgewater Yacht Club thought he saw a fin in the water and caught the shark by the tail.

It died when he threw it up on land.

Marine experts say it was probably once a pet that was dumped in the lake.

[ladylib]

Bull sharks breed at the mouth of the Mississippi. Some have been found as far as Alton, IL. Bull sharks are extremely dangerous and vicious. They like to hang around docks and under bridges.

[mlocher]

don't know about cape may in new jersey, but a great white was found in a swimming pool in cape horn, south africa by two swimmers about 10 years ago. they got up early and went for a swim about 6 am. a large storm the night before caused a huge wave which most like washed the fish into the pool. i wish i had the story with me.

[budwiesest]

If these sharks don't get killed off by human pollution they will likely evovle into a shark that is completely adapted to living and spawning in fresh water.

Then my vote goes to pollution.

[Life of Brian]

Marine experts say it was probably once a pet that was dumped in the lake.

uh huh. We all keep pet sharks around.

[Life of Brian]

this ain't no regular shark my friend. someone is genetically engineering killer sharks for our inland fresh water lakes to terrify the citizenry. God help us all.

[rmlew]

Could a Bull Shark get into the great lakes? it would have to swim up the Hudson (possible) and then take the Erie canal to Buffalo, and then get through the locks into the lake.
I doubt this could happen.

Frankly, I consider Bull Sharks far skarier than Great Whites. Unlike Great Whites, Bulls hunt in relatively shallow and murky water, where people swim.
They also go into rivers and ponds. (I'm pretty sure I say one in the bay in Southampton NY. (that would have done wonders for teh multi-million dollar waterfront estates.) No one believed me.

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

It died when he ""threw it up""" on land.

He probably didn’t cook it enough.

Good one!!! Hey, I'm going to ping you to an interesting post of mine. I really hope you will take the time to read it. It is an interesting debate between my niece and I over MEChA, a radical Mexican group, who wants to take back California, Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, etc.

Here is the link:

A Liberal HS Teachers View on MEChA"

[Behind Liberal Lines]

The TRUE story on which "Jaws" is based involved a great white that swam many, many, miles up a freshwater stream in New Jersey (around 1910 I think), killing several swimmers as it did.

[Mike K]

Thanks for the replies. I learned something new today.
1,750 miles inland! I didn't think salt water gills could stand all that fresh water.

I'll stick to lakes where alligators and water moccasins are the top of the food chain.

[JAWs]

And yes, that's a fish.

More or less. It's an Agnatha or 'jawless fish.' The fish we're moe used to seeing are the Chondrichthyes (sharks and rays) and Osteichthyes (bony fishes).

As for the shark, there are a number of fresh water sjarks in the world, including at least one that has been known to attack humans. (It lives in Lake Nicaragua.)

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

I remember one found in Elephant Butte lake in New Mexico about 26 years ago.

[Black Agnes]

Southhampton? You mean where all the rich liberals have palaces for the summer season? HmmmmmHmmm, wonder if this particular shark would be described as 'threatened' or 'endangered'. Maybe we could put the entire liberal mecca off limits to humans and give them a taste of what they've been giving the rest of the country (especially out west!) for years!

[rmlew]

Interesting site. One thing. They claim tha the 1916 NJ attacks were due to Great Whites. I believe that this is false.
2 of the Fatal attacks occured in a creek and the shark was only 7.5 feet.
That sounds like a Bull Shark to me. They certainly can be mistaken for juvenile Great Whites.
http://www.reefquest.com/topics/nj_maneater.htm

Bull Sharks, and two species of Tiger shark are commonly found in NJ.
http://www.njscuba.net/aqua_biology/sharks_inshore.html

At the office today, I was wistfully thinking of being at the beach and swimming. I think I've just scared myself out of that option.

[rmlew]

Teh Bull Shark is one of the 5 most dangerious sharks and the NOAA is concerned about its survival, but fails to warn people about the threat. Damn enviromentalists.

[rmlew]

Southhampton? You mean where all the rich liberals have palaces for the summer season?

Actually, I believe that there will be a fundraiser for PFAW in one of those mansions. I should through them in. (The Hamptons are strange. The locals are mostly white ethnic Republicans. The rich folk are Democrats. The area is Represented by a fairly conservative Republican, Felix Grucci. )

HmmmmmHmmm, wonder if this particular shark would be described as 'threatened' or 'endangered'. Maybe we could put the entire liberal mecca off limits to humans and give them a taste of what they've been giving the rest of the country (especially out west!) for years!
Hey, I like teh Hamptons. My parents have been taking me out for 24 of my 25 years.

[Black Agnes]

Ah, well thank god the Liberals haven't bought off the local elections. The Hamptons are indeed lovely :). Too bad there are so many dims in the summer! PFAW, ewww, the poor shark would starve! I'm sure even sharks have their limits!

[mhking]

Could a Bull Shark get into the great lakes? it would have to swim up the Hudson (possible) and then take the Erie canal to Buffalo, and then get through the locks into the lake. I doubt this could happen.

I doubt that too, but if one could get as far north as Alton, it wouldn't be hard for one to get into the Illinois River - which connects via the Cal-Sag Channel/DesPlaines River/Chicago River to Lake Michigan. Stranger things have happened.

[WellsFargo94]

Oh, that pic has GOT TO BE Katie's colon!