Shark Attack … In a Lake?!

[xdivision_whitey]

The idea of a shark attacking someone in the ocean is scary enough, but this week, a 7-year-old boy was bitten by one of these fearsome fish in a lake.

The boy was swimming in Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana, when something bumped into him in the water and chomped down on his foot, USA Today reported. The bite's appearance suggests it was probably a bull shark measuring about 5 feet (1.5 meters) long, experts say. The boy is expected to recover from the incident.

While it may seem unusual for a shark to turn up in this part of Louisiana, Lake Pontchartrain isn't strictly a lake — it's an estuary, a coastal body of brackish water connected by rivers or streams to the open ocean. The lake is connected to the Gulf of Mexico by the Mississippi River.

Read full article here

[Paige-Anon]

how did the shark get in there?

[Alexander J Luthor]

DarkStorm333

how did the shark get in there?

We're ******** with the eco system, plus nature is changing rapidly. They're looking for new homes and a lot of oceanic creatures (and a ton of invasive species) are adapting to the colder, salt-less waters and searching them.

There's a breed of piranha that's making its way up the lakes and rivers of the midwest. They caught some in a lake that has a hidden hot spring in one of its corners and they sit there in winter to survive, but they're adapting enough to swim in the colder parts of that specific lake.

[Valiant Corvus]

There's actually nothing shocking about this at all, after looking at where the lake is located in relation to the ocean.

Bull Sharks can live in both fresh water and salt water and tend to prefer warmer shallow waters, so they often wander up rivers and whatnot. It's certainly not something you would want to know when you're going on a lake trip, but it's not by any means uncommon.

Quote:

They're looking for new homes and a lot of oceanic creatures (and a ton of invasive species) are adapting to the colder, salt-less waters and searching them.

Err....I suppose, but not in this case. As far as I know Bull Sharks have always been this way.

[Shaman Slate]

not surprising there is such a thing as fresh water sharks.

[lVlIGHTY]

its gonna be sharknight every night! pirate

[Reiko Iwamaru]

DropShot3

how did the shark get in there?

There are some lakes out there that have connection to the ocean; since lakes are fresh water, the only shark that can transfer itself from salt water (the ocean) to fresh water (lakes) is a Bull Shark. They are not true fresh water sharks though.

If it's a shark attack in a lake, then it is most likely a bull shark since that shark is the only shark I know that bumps its victims before biting them.

[Reiko Iwamaru]

Shaman Slate

not surprising there is such a thing as fresh water sharks.

Agreed! There are also fresh-water dolphins.

[Reiko Iwamaru]

Alexander J Luthor

DarkStorm333

how did the shark get in there?

We're ******** with the eco system, plus nature is changing rapidly. They're looking for new homes and a lot of oceanic creatures (and a ton of invasive species) are adapting to the colder, salt-less waters and searching them.

There's a breed of piranha that's making its way up the lakes and rivers of the midwest. They caught some in a lake that has a hidden hot spring in one of its corners and they sit there in winter to survive, but they're adapting enough to swim in the colder parts of that specific lake.

I adore this point so flipping much. emotion_brofist You make me smile everyday when I see your posts whee

[guy30]

DropShot3

how did the shark get in there?

bull sharks frequently swim into estuaries.

[Yuki_Windira]

You never know what is really beneath the waters.<.<

[xXFurygeistXx]

guy30

DropShot3

how did the shark get in there?

bull sharks frequently swim into estuaries.

Yup. One of the few sharks that can stand going into water where the salination is diluted. They'll swim up rivers sometimes, too. They go where they can get food and where they can have their pups in safety away from other sharks.

[xXFurygeistXx]

Shaman Slate

not surprising there is such a thing as fresh water sharks.

They aren't freshwater sharks, they are merely one of the few breeds of shark that can transition into fresher waters. They do have to return to the ocean, though.

[mandapanda412]

bull sharks are becoming more able to adapt into fresh water without any problems.... so oceans aren't the only place anymore. its creepy gonk

[xXFurygeistXx]

mandapanda412

bull sharks are becoming more able to adapt into fresh water without any problems.... so oceans aren't the only place anymore. its creepy gonk

gonk Guess I'll be sticking to man made lakes, then. Yikes. Though I've been in the ocean with a 5ft. bull shark not 6 feet away from me, what am I freaking out for... sweatdrop