A number of 65-foot freshwater “Kodiak sharks” have been found in Lake Michigan and have attacked swimmers.
Rumors involving a supposedly newly found large freshwater species named the “Kodiak shark” have endured in corners of the web since no less than 2023, with dozens of movies citing the supposed species posted on TikTok.
For instance, one TikTok consumer posted a video on Oct. 4, 2024, claiming a number of 65-feet “Kodiak sharks” had been present in Lake Michigan “a number of weeks in the past.” The footage said the “new species … lives solely in freshwater” and has been answerable for a number of shark assault victims who had been admitted to the close by Corewell Health Lakeland Hospital.
Nevertheless, such rumors are fabricated, as is the existence of the so-called “Kodiak shark,” which is why we’ve rated this declare as false.
Amanda Klingbail, a spokesperson for Michigan’s Corewell Health Hospital, mentioned by way of electronic mail “there isn’t any reality to us seeing any shark assault sufferers at our hospitals.”
Likewise, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ public data officer Ed Golder mentioned in an electronic mail: “No ‘Kodiak shark’ has been present in Lake Michigan.”
Some shark species can reside in contemporary and saltwater environments. Based on the Australian Museum, solely three recognized “true river sharks” spend most of their time in freshwater, all of that are “not often seen and threatened.” These embrace the Speartooth Shark, Ganges Shark, and Northern River Shark.
Moreover, components of the video referencing the “kodiak shark” are animated and never precise footage of the creatures.
Different information publications, together with Grand Rapids, Michigan, CBS affiliate Wood TV, and the Detroit Free Press, have dispelled rumors of sharks in freshwater lakes.
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