Alligators are rarely found in the Great Lakes. Although some alligators thrive in freshwater, it's just too cold in the north for them to survive. They don't typically live farther north than North Carolina. It's unclear how the alligator arrived to Lake Michigan.
While there have been past “sightings,” most have turned out to be pranks or misidentifications. The reality is that the largest of the Great Lakes (Lake Superior and Michigan) are extremely deep lakes that are too cold for sharks.
The Lake Sturgeon - Michigan's Biggest Creature You may be a little startled if it decides to swim past your feet, as the Lake Sturgeon is rather big in size. On average, they can be anywhere between six and three feet in length. They will also weigh anywhere between 30-100lbs.
Lake sturgeon are the largest fish in Lake Superior. They are among the oldest fish in the lake too. Did you know that a lake sturgeon can live to be older than 100 years? This species of fish has also been around for a long time—about 150 million years.
Species native to the lake include banded killifish, bloater, brook trout, burbot, cisco, lake sturgeon, lake trout, lake whitefish, longnose sucker, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, round whitefish, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker and yellow perch.
Mishipeshu is said to live near Michipicoten and Manitoulin Island in Lake Superior, and is often regarded as a symbol of the lake's power. Mishipeshu is able to cause storms, waves, and whirlpools. The water spirit travels through underwater tunnels, speaking in a roaring hiss that sounds like rushing water.
In northeastern Ohio and Michigan folklore, Bessie is a name given to a lake monster in Lake Erie, also known as South Bay Bessie or simply The Lake Erie Monster.
An underwater panther, called Mishipeshu (in Ojibwe syllabics: ????) or Mishibijiw (in syllabics: ?????) in Ojibwe (IPA: [m????b???w]), is one of the most important of several mythical water beings among many Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands and Great Lakes region, particularly among the Anishinaabe.
Lake Nicaragua is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the Americas and bull sharks travel up the San Juan River and through a series of eight rapids in a similar manner to salmon to reach the lake, where they may stay for several years.
But Heithaus said it would not be possible for a bull shark to reach the Great Lakes on their own because most don't travel very far upstream. If one did reach the lakes, it would not be able to survive due to the cold water temperature.
The bull shark is commonly found worldwide in coastal areas of warm oceans, in rivers and lakes, and occasionally salt and freshwater streams if they are deep enough.
The sea lamprey is an invasive species living in Canada's Great Lakes that had been kept under control for decades - until now. Erica Vella explains how the pandemic fuelled a population spike among the “vampire fish,” and what's being done to stop them.