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Are there sharks in Lake Superior?

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.



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Yes, Lake Superior is safe for swimming. Lake Superior has the lowest drowning rate among all the Great Lakes.

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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.

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The average underwater visibility of Lake Superior is 27 feet, making it easily the cleanest and clearest of the Great Lakes. Underwater visibility in places reaches 100 feet. Lake Superior has been described as the most oligotrophic lake in the world.

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In inland lakes their main predator as adults are humans. As adults in Lake Superior their main predator, besides humans, is the sea lamprey.

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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.

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Lake Nicaragua is the only freshwater lake containing oceanic animal life, including sharks, swordfish, and tarpon. More than 40 rivers drain into the lake, the largest being the Tipitapa River.

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Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh water.



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Siscowet lake trout, kiyi, deepwater sculpin, round goby, crayfish, shrimp, and other invertebrates live at the bottom of Lake Superior. Some plants like algae and seaweed also grow at these depths.

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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.

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The clean, clear waters of Lake Superior are beautiful and inviting, though the water is typically cold even for the hardiest swimmers. Shoreline water temperatures in summer usually range from the upper 50s to the upper 60s. Some years it can reach 70 degrees by mid-August in Munising Bay.

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Lake Superior in a nutshell: The world's largest lake by surface area. The largest of the Great Lakes. Contains more water than all four other Great Lakes combined. Water flows from Lake Superior out to Lake Huron.

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What would happen if Lake Superior dried up? Without Lake Superior, areas near the lake would see far less snow each winter, and the distribution of snow in the central and eastern regions around the lake would be far different. The effects would not be limited to snow.

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As the summer camping season peaks, the surface temperatures of Lake Superior gradually go from freezing, to tolerable, to relaxing. Our Daily Dips in August at Agawa Bay are by far the warmest and most comfortable since the surface water maxes out at about 20°C (68°F).

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