Do whales come to the Great Lakes?

The time of year when we all start scanning the bays for whale sightings. I can officially report that the Great Lakes Whale Migration has begun for 2023. As in previous years, the whales have been showing up right on time each year – April 1st – and this year is no exception.



People Also Ask

The health of the waters of the Great Lakes can be measured in many ways, but one of the most unusual is by observing the health of the small population of beluga whales that live in the estuary of the St. Lawrence River.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

Lake sturgeons are the biggest fish in the Great Lakes.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

Little known to most New Yorkers is the fact that freshwater dolphins once thrived in waters of Lake Erie. The cool waters kept the size of these dolphins uniquely small compared to their ocean swimming cousins - evidence suggest adults rarely reached 24 inches in length.

MORE DETAILS

According to the article, two juvenile Australian whales, one female and one male, were “planted” in Great Salt Lake in 1873. James Wickham imported them and commissioned special rail cars filled with seawater to transport the whales from San Francisco to the lake.

MORE DETAILS

At the deepest measured point, Lake Superior is 1,332 feet, around a quarter-mile straight down. Again, comparing it to the next deepest point in another Great Lake, Lake Michigan comes in second with a depth of 925 feet.

MORE DETAILS