Bull shark, freshwater shark

One of the things I used to enjoy about the large bodies of freshwater that we have up north is being able to swim in them without worrying about sharks. As rare as shark attacks are I'm still always conscious of sharks when doing something in the sea. To put it in perspective I wouldn't let my child splash around in the shallow waters of the Haulover inlet sandbar nor swim to the buoys off Ft. Lauderdale beach. I myself do not want to be in saltwater unless I'm in predatory mode ie. spearfishing. It would seem that freshwater far removed from alligator habitat is a welcome relief from that nagging paranoid feeling that comes with swimming in water with next to zero visibility.

Enter the bull shark. The bull shark is best known for its ability to live in freshwater and aggressiveness. It is the only shark I believe that has other names pertaining to the bodies of freshwater where it is commonly found; Zambezi river shark (Africa) and the lake Nicaragua shark (Nicaragua).

Remember Jaws the movie? It was loosely based on a true story where in 1916 a shark (presumably a bull) swam 27km up the Matawan river in New Jersey attacked three people and killed two of them http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J…ore_shark_attacks_of_1916

Interesting sketches of the victim's injuries http://www.semp.us/publications/biot_reader.php?BiotID=195

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The arrows mark the general vicinity of the attacks, about
a mile and a half up the creek, and 12 miles from the ocean.
( The Parkway wasn't there in 1916 ! )

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The remains of the pier at the site of the attacks.

I also knew about the sharks swimming up the Mississippi but I was shocked to find that bulls have been found in Lake Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsine! http://wildlifemysteries.wordp…rangest-shark-story-ever/

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The question of how far up a river a bull shark can live has often brought debate. Although one was found over 2,000 miles up the Amazon in Peru, it is thought that bull sharks cannot survive very far up North American rivers, and they certainly could never be found in the cold rivers and lakes of the Northern tier of states. Or could they?....

http://blogs.abc.net.au/allpoi…8/03/just-when-you-t.html

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The Bull shark you can see in the back of that six by four trailer is actually 2.9m long. It was caught by a bloke called Terry Hessey during the Brisbane River Classic last December. They couldn't weigh it but to give you an idea, the fishing gear he was using is normally reserved for Marlin...

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They live also in the Nicaragua Lake in central America. A freshwater LAKE, so go figure. It´s interesting how those sharks made it til there and evoluted to be endemic of the nicaraguan Lake.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull_shark

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Initially, scientists thought the sharks in Lake Nicaragua belonged to an endemic species, the Lake Nicaragua shark (Carcharhinus nicaraguensis). In 1961, following comparisons of specimens, the Lake Nicaragua shark was synonymized with the bull shark. It had been presumed that the sharks were trapped within the lake, but this was found to be incorrect in the late 1960s, when it was discovered that they were able to jump along the rapids of the San Juan River (which connects Lake Nicaragua and the Caribbean Sea), almost like salmon. As evidence of these movements, bull sharks tagged inside the lake have later been caught in the open ocean (and vice versa), with some taking as little as 7-11 days to complete the journey.

The Lake Michigan shark I think is real, I read it on another site and it was more documented. I'll try to find it again. The Minnesota and Wisconsin was pretty well written, I missed the end

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull_shark

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Bull sharks have occasionally been seen in the Mississippi River as far north as St. Louis. Even more rare, due to cooler waters, bull sharks have made their way up the Illinois River and into Lake Michigan such as an encounter off the coast of Chicago, Illinois. In that incident the shark was verified by U. of Illinois biologists as being a female 6 feet 9 inches and weighing over 300 lbs.

http://conservationreport.com/…ke-michigan-shark-attack/

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According to the Global Shark Attack File, in 1955 George Lawson had his right leg bitten off by a bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) while swimming in Lake Michigan near Chicago. The attack was unprovoked and by surprise. The incident log does not mention any other attacks from Lake Michigan, so it appears the incident was an aberration. However, freshwater shark attacks, although rare, are possible.

Bull sharks have been recorded in the Mississippi River, but it has been claimed that a series of dams and locks known as the Illinois Waterway, which connects the Mississippi River with Lake Michigan, should prevent bull sharks from entering Lake Michigan. Furthermore, Lake Michigan bathers should not be too concerned, because bull sharks prefer warmer waters.

Of course now this info also has to be considered as possibly false.

Somebody made a good effort for the Minnesota shark story to look real Check this out http://www.nokomiseast.org/yard/light/creeksharks.html

Excellent photoshop work.